Three months ago, the government ordered to ban import and manufacture of life saving drug Oxytocin except by only one company by July 18 but later extended it up to September 18 as it is used by dairy industry to increase milk production. Oxytocin prevents women from bleeding to death during labor and abortion. First, some good news. In early June, data released by the Registrar General of India suggested a significant decline in the country’s Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR).
From 167 (per 100,000 live births) in 2011-2013, it had dropped to 130 in 2014-16. Since 1990, the MMR has dropped by over 69 percent, in part due to interventions by the health ministry like the National Rural Health Mission in 2005, and the Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child, and Adolescent Health (RMNCH+A) approach which addresses major causes of mortality among women and children. But in April this year,…
