India has lowered deaths of mothers and newborns in the last decade, but many lives are still lost because health workers cannot act early enough. AI is now being tested to spot danger signs sooner, giving clinicians a chance to intervene.
Key Developments
- Government data show the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) fell from 130 per 1,00,000 live births (2014‑16) to 88 (2021‑23).
- The Neonatal Mortality Rate (NMR) dropped from 26 per 1,000 live births (2014) to 19 (2021).
- ARMMAN’s mMitra partnered with Google and IIT‑Madras to build a model that predicts which mothers will stop receiving messages. Pilot testing cut drop‑outs among high‑risk women by almost 30 %.
- The NFHS‑6 shows women getting at least four antenatal visits rose from 58.5 % to 65.2 %, still leaving many pregnancies under‑served.
Important Facts
Globally, the World Health Organization estimates 2,60,000 women died during pregnancy or childbirth in 2023, and UNICEF reports 2.3 million newborn deaths in the first month of life in 2024 (about 6,200 per day). These numbers highlight the cost of missed warnings.
Data sources that can feed predictive models include antenatal records, lab results, blood‑pressure trends, maternal age, anaemia status, obstetric history, birth weight, gestational age, facility data and social risk indicators.
Exam Relevance
Understanding how ASHA workers and other frontline staff use AI‑driven alerts links to GS‑2 topics on health governance, public‑health delivery, and the National Health Mission. The role of data‑driven decision‑support touches GS‑3 themes