Fewest maternal deaths recorded in states ranked highest in health index

Fewer Indian mothers died in states that improved their overall “health performance”, according to an IndiaSpend analysis of the latest maternal mortality data. Seven of 10 Indian states with the lowest maternal mortality ratio (MMR) ranked highest in a 2015 health index produced by the government think tank NITI Aayog, our analysis showed. The health index, which ranked states by “health performance”, considers infant and under-five mortality, sex ratio at birth, immunisation, institutional deliveries, health-monitoring and governance indicators such as occupancy of hospital beds, infrastructure and human resources. Kerala, Punjab and Tamil Nadu are the top three states in the health index, while Uttar Pradesh (UP), Jammu and Kashmir and Jharkhand improved quickest from the base year (2014-15), according to the NITI Aayog index. Mizoram and Manipur topped the list of eight smaller states. The conclusion: States that invested in improving health infrastructure, quality and access of services, human resources and health outcomes, reduced the number of maternal deaths.