National Safe Motherhood Day 2023, Date, History & Theme

National Safe Motherhood Day 2023

National Safe Motherhood Day is observed each year on 11 April Each year. It is one of the many initiatives that the government of India has taken to reduce maternal and neonatal deaths. The National Safe Motherhood Day generates awareness about the need for care, medical check-ups, health support and government initiative needed to ensure safe motherhood.  This article here has all the information on National Safe Motherhood Day 2023.

Check this post in Hindi

National Safe Motherhood Day 2023 History

The first National Safe Motherhood Day 2023 was observed on 11 April 2023. It happens to be the birth anniversary of Kasturba Gandhi, the wife of Mahatma Gandhi. Kasturba Gandhi was a constant companion and active member of all initiatives by Mahatma Gandhi.

The government of India utilises the birth anniversary of Kasturba Gandhi, to generate awareness and drive the message of safe motherhood amongst the masses.

National Safe Motherhood Day 2023 Theme

The theme of National Safe Motherhood Day 2023 is yet to be declared as of now. Here you can check the theme of past National Safe Motherhood Day.

National Safe Motherhood Day 2023 Significance

The health of pregnant and new mothers along with their newborn children is the reflection of the health and condition of society. It is one of the main ones forming various schemes and indexes like – the World Health Index etc.  Here is some essential data related to the condition of pregnant and new Mothers in India.

• The Total Fertility Rate (TFR), has  declined from 2.2 to 2.0 at the national level between NNFHS 4 and 5.
• According to NFHS-5, 23.3% women surveyed got married before attaining the legal age of 18 years, down from 26.8% reported in NFHS-4.
• Teenage pregnancies are down from 7.9% to 6.8%.
• Institutional Births – It increased from 79% to 89% in India.
• Maternal Mortality Ratio id down from 130 in 2014-16 to 97 per lakh live births in 2018-20.
• The Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) is defined as the number of maternal deaths during a given time period per 100,000 live births.

India’s efforts to lower the MMR ratio are commendable and provide a positive outlook on achieving the Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) target of an MMR less than 70 well before the stipulated time of 2030. The government’s various initiatives, such as the Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK) and Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA), have played a significant role in improving maternal health outcomes in the country