About the project

The state of Telangana, despite the challenges of a newly formed state, has also achieved the SDG 3 of MMR of less than 70/100000 live births. However, maternal deaths that are preventable are still occurring in India and in Telangana. Studies also indicate that there are inequities in access and quality of maternal and newborn health care that continue to plague our health system. Therefore, there is still much that can be done to further decrease the gaps inequitable care and end preventable maternal mortality. There is a global movement to ending preventable mortality (EPMM) grounded in a human rights approach with a focus on eliminating significant inequities that lead to disparities in access, quality, and outcomes of care within and between countries. The last mile towards ending preventable maternal mortality will require locally relevant and contextual interventions.

In this technical assessment, in collaboration with the Armman, in two districts in Telangana, we seek to identify local evidence-based actions that have the potential to decrease and prevent maternal mortality. We plan to first understand the gaps in maternal and newborn care service delivery that contribute to maternal mortality. This will be achieved through the analysis of secondary data and facility preparedness surveys. Based on the gaps identified, a qualitative inquiry to gain insights about ‘why gaps exist’ and ‘how they can be plugged’ will be conducted. Evidence-based actions that have the potential to reduce the MMR will be recommended.