In Santhali villages in Godda, along Jharkhand’s border with Bihar, many slanting stone megaliths that mark the community graves are those of young women who died in childbirth in recent years. Tribal families in the hamlets scattered in Sundarpahari and Poreyhat – many of whom speak only Santahli - recount desperate struggles for medical help when young women in their families in advanced stages of pregnancy experienced complications



Source: The Hindu
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The Research and Intervention for Sexual Health: Theory to Action (RISHTA) project focused attention on the symptom of vaginal discharge and established a Women’s Health Clinic in June 2009 in the Urban Health Clinic serving a low income community inhabited largely by Muslims. Every woman recruited into the project — 1125 of them — was asked to provide a medical history, to undergo an internal examination, and test for sexually transmitted infections (STI) before being given treatment.

Source: The Hindu
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Raami Murugan is slowly picking up the pieces of her life after motherhood lost. Her baby girl was born premature en route to the Agali Community Health Centre on January 14. The baby, which weighed hardly above one kg, was declared dead on arrival.
She is among 34 tribal infants who died in /the past six months due to malnutrition at Attappady in Palakkad district However, Chief Minister Oommen Chandy and his Ministers blamed young mothers of Attappady for not “eating properly” and branded them alcoholics, saying their habits led to the death of their children.


Source: The Hindu
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Independent Maternal Mortality Audit Cell (Swatantra Matra-Mratyu Samikshak Dal) has been set up in Allahabad, Kaushambi, Fatehpur and Pratapgarh districts to undertake maternal mortality audit in the region. Headed by a senior health official, the cell will also have a woman health worker. 

Source: Times of India
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To ensure safe birth and good maternal health at Community Health Centres (CHCs) and First Referral Units (FRUs), the health department is starting a unique 'On Call' service under which specialised doctors of the region would attend the delivery cases at the FRU or CHC concerned.
For this service the special secretary, Medical Health and Family Welfare, Uttar Pradesh, Dr Kajal has formed a 'Safe Birth Response Team' (SBRT) in Varanasi on Thursday which comprises gynaecologists, anaesthesiologists and paediatricians

Source: Times of India
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Maternal death are rated as one of the major health concerns in India, maternal mortality is slowly but steadily showing a dip, especially in the medical colleges of Assam. The rate of maternal mortality witnessed a decrease in three medical colleges in Assam. The Assam Tribune reported it.

Source: The Assam Tribune
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The Federation of Obstetric and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI) has come up with a new initiative to incubate high dependency units (HDU) in government and private hospitals to deal with high-risk pregnancies. They will also assist hospitals in setting up these units. The federation is an apex body of obstetricians and gynaecologists in the country.

Source: Times of India
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The infant mortality rate (IMR) and maternal mortality rate (MMR) in 11 Maoist-hit districts including the Kalahandi-Balangir-Koraput (KBK) region were alarming, Union health secretary Keshav Desiraju said. Balangir tops IMR, among the 11 districts, with 98 per 1,000 live births followed by Kandhamal at 86 against the state average of 59.

Source: The Hindu
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The Chhattisgarh and Union governments have decided to halt the public-private partnership (PPP) project in diagnostic services. The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) refused to partially fund the outsourcing of diagnostic services. According to the state government outsourcing health services to private laboratories would enhance efficiency and facilitate delivery of services. 

Source: The Hindu
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