A Public Service Broadcasting Trust Fellowship film.

Telecasted in: DD News

Motherhood is a cherished dream of every woman. However, this dream is being shattered too often due to an unholy alliance between poverty, ill health and lack of access to existing health delivery services. The maternal mortality ratio in India is unexceptionally high with 407 women dying each year per 1 lakh live birth each year. According to WHO estimate 5, 15000 maternal deaths occur due to pregnancy-related causes each year in the World. In every minute more than one woman dies from pregnancy-related causes worldwide.

Every five minutes a woman dies somewhere in India due to pregnancy associated causes. The annual toll of over, 100,000 maternal death constitutes over 20 percent of the global burden which is perhaps the highest for any single country.

Nowhere in India is this unholy alliance between poverty and ill-health more stark than in Orissa. With per capita income less than Rs. 13000 and vast gap between rich and poor which is further gnawing, and poor access to health services and the State has the highest maternal mortality ratio (407 against the national average of 367- SRS, 1998) and highest infant mortality rate (101/reduced to 85 against the national average of 63).