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Every year around 68,000 women die in India from complications related to pregnancy and childbirth and approximately 20 lakh children die due to easily preventable causes such as diarrhoea and pneumonia,. India also ranks 75 out of 77 countries on a scale of ‘best place to be a mother’; this is two places down from last year’s Mother’s Index compiled by Save the Children.
On the occasion of Mother’s Day, Save the Children, a leading child rights organization in India and White Ribbon Alliance launched a joint initiative to celebrate the ‘Joy of Motherhood’ bringing together renowned mothers from all walks of life -films arts and politics.
Save the Children’s twelfth annual Mothers’ Index compares the well-being of mothers and children in 164 countries. India ranks 75 out of 77 developing countries. Save the Children believes the quality of children’s lives depends on the health, security and well-being of their mothers. Providing mothers with access to education, economic opportunities and maternal and child healthcare gives mothers and their children the best chance to survive and thrive. The Mother’s Index documents the conditions for mothers and their children in 164 countries.
The mother’s day special event titled ‘Walk with the Angel’ bought together eminent personalities such as Dr. Najma Heptullah (Member, Rajya Sabha), Feroze Gujral (Model and Media personality) Lushin Dubey (Theatre Actor and Director), Vani Tripathi (Youth Leader, BJP), Sagarika Ghose (Media personality and Author Ms. Ramola Bachchan (entrepreneur), Ms Ramneek Paintal (Model and VJ), Ms. Jaishree Misra (Author), Ms. Poonam Bhagat (Designer) , Ms. Vandana Luthra (entrepreneur) , Ms.Namrata Joshipura (Designer), Padmashree Ms. Shovana Narayan (Kathak Dancer). All of these mothers voiced strongly an appeal for more heath workers in the country. When institutional care is not available or poor in quality, it is critical to have health workers rooted in the community to reach out to mothers and their newborns.
Ms Shanti Terassa Lakra, an Auxiliary Midwife and Nurse (ANM) also a Padmashree awardee was felicitated at the event for her services to mothers and babies.
Shireen Vakil Miller, Director for Advocacy, Save the Children, said: “It is indeed sad that on the one hand our country is emerging as a global power and on the other we have shocking statistics on maternal, newborn and child mortality. As a nation we must invest in the health of mothers and children. There is a critical role for female health workers in the fight to reduce maternal, newborn and child mortality. Countries that train and deploy more female health workers have seen dramatic reductions in maternal, newborn and child mortality.”
