The Punjab state has recorded the remarkable cutback in Mother Morality Ratio by 19 points from 141 per One Lakh live births to 122 as per the latest data released by Sample Registration System.

Giving details, Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister, Brahm Mohindra said that the state has witnessed a decline in the Mother Mortality Ratio from 141 to 122.

“Now we set our target to reduce it below 100 by providing adequate and timely pre and postnatal checkup and other essential services to the pregnant women and mothers of new born children,” he said.

That state government has strictly instructed all civil surgeons to ensure the institutional delivery of all pregnant women especially who belong to Below Poverty Line families, living in rural, remote and urban areas of the state, Mohindra said.

He said it was found that some government hospitals have deliberately forwarded the delivery cases to the district civil hospitals and to other hospitals for no specific reasons. The minister said that no laxity would be tolerated in the case of negligence act at any level in the department.

“Health Department has initiated penal action against the erring Medical Officers and other concerned staff members for non-compliance of the protocol under Mother Child Health Care regime,” minister said.

Mohindra said that it is also pertinent to mention that because of awareness rolled out among the general public, about the 96.8 pc deliveries were performed at the hospitals in the state which were known as Institutional Deliveries, out of which 51.7 pc took place at government institutions.