MoHP to study maternal mortality rate through census, 2021

A study regarding maternal mortality rate is to be conducted through the National Census-2021 for the first time in the country.

The Ministry of Health and Population is going to carry out a study regarding maternal mortality rate along with census with an objective of determining maternal mortality rate and strengthening safe maternity service by identifying the reasons behind the death.

Joint-Secretary at the Ministry, Indramani Pokharel, said that a study is going to be carried out to identify the maternal mortality rate of women of reproductive age group and to make safe maternity service qualitative, affordable and accessible.

The Ministry has now started imparting training to health workers from September 20 to October 27 for the study, he added.

A report would be prepared from the Census and programmes related to preventing maternal mortality rate would be run as per the report.

Under the study, a joint project of the Ministry and the Central Bureau of Statistics, enumerators will determine whether any woman of the 15-49 age group in any family has died in the past 12 months. The study aims to find out the figure of maternity mortality in the first phase and it will be followed by comprehensive data collection about the causes of death.

The deaths of women during pregnancy, labour pain, post-partum period (up to six months), or in other circumstances will be recorded during the study. The schedule for the preliminary data collection to determine the household with the maternal death has been fixed from November 11 to 25 (15 days) and it will be followed by finding out the causes of death through an oral survey.

A total of 847 surveyors will be mobilised to assist the study. Similarly, four health workers each will be mobilised in the metropolis, three each in the sub-metropolis, and one each in the municipality and rural municipality.

According to the National Demographic and Health Survey 2016, the MMR for Nepal is 239 deaths per 100,000 live births. Nepal is expected to limit the figure to 70 by 2030 to advance towards the Sustainable Development Goals. The MMR makes up 12 per cent of the total deaths of women in the reproductive age group in Nepal.