Guwahati: Assam has achieved a remarkable milestone in the field of health sector specially maternal mortality, with the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) dropping from 480 per lakh live births in 2006 starting of NRHM to just 125 in 2022 under NHM, a 75% decline that Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma described as the "sharpest drop" recorded by any Indian state.

Addresing media on this grand achievement, the Chief Minister said that every number in this decline represents not just a statistic, but a life saved - a mother returning safely to her family, and a future secured.

Sarma, who began this healthcare journey as the state’s Health Minister and now leads as Chief Minister, expressed deep personal satisfaction over this transformation.

He recalled how, in 2006, Assam had one of the highest maternal mortality rates in the country, coupled with a birth rate of 25.0, a total fertility rate (TFR) of 2.9, and institutional deliveries at just 22.4%.

At the time, Kerala’s MMR stood at 95, highlighting the gap Assam needed to bridge.

“Today, Assam has not only caught up but has surpassed states like Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh. This is a milestone in our healthcare journey,” he said.

According to the Chief Minister, the dramatic decline in MMR is the outcome of years of consistent investment in public health infrastructure and strategic reforms.

Over the years, the state has established 13 medical colleges, 22 district hospitals, 221 community health centers, 1,017 primary health centers, and 4,875 sub-centers across Assam, he reiterated.

"Each of the 35 districts now houses at least one CEmONC (Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care) center, and the state also boasts 84 First Referral Units (FRUs) alongside an Ayurvedic medical college and hospital," he told the press.

The state's growing healthcare workforce has also played a pivotal role in this success.

Presently, Assam has 5,769 doctors, 7,419 staff nurses, 9,989 Auxiliary Nurse Midwives (ANMs), 3,212 community health officers, and 7,903 paramedical staff serving across urban and rural regions.

The ASHA (Accredited Social Health Activist) programme, introduced in 2006, has grown significantly, with 33,656 ASHA workers and 2,675 supervisors now playing an active role in maternal and child healthcare delivery.

Chief Minister Sarma pointed out that one of the most significant contributors to this success was the massive shift toward institutional deliveries.

From just 22% in 2006, institutional births in Assam now stand at 97%, with government hospitals handling nearly 90% of them.

“When 100 babies were born in 2006, only 22 were delivered in hospitals. Today, 97 of them are in hospitals,” he noted.

Another factor that Sarma credited for the improvement was the crackdown on child marriages and teenage pregnancies.

“We worked hard to prevent early marriages and adolescent pregnancies, particularly in remote and tea garden areas where maternal mortality used to be the highest,” he said.

The recent decline in MMR, according to him, was achieved even before the impact of the anti-child marriage measures taken had fully materialised.

“Once the data post-2023 is included, I believe we will see even better results,” he added.

The Chief Minister also highlighted the decline in Assam’s total fertility rate from 2.9 to 2.1, aligning it with the national replacement level, and signaling broader improvements in public health.

Alongside this, the infant mortality rate has dropped significantly from 68 to 32. "Again, one of the sharpest declines in the country," he said.

"This is not just a policy achievement, it is a human victory. From being at the bottom of the healthcare index, Assam is now showing the rest of the country what determined leadership and focused public health reforms can achieve," Sarma declared.

With this sharp decline in MMR, Assam is not only closing its gap with the national average but is poised to set new standards for maternal health in India.