Maternal Health in Assam
摘要
Maternal health remains a critical public health concern in India, particularly in regions marked by underdevelopment and conflict. This chapter examines maternal health indicators in Assam by comparing selected aspirational districts with Kokrajhar, a district not included in the Aspirational Districts Programme but significantly shaped by protracted conflict and social unrest. While aspirational districts benefit from targeted policy support aimed at improving health infrastructure and service delivery, Kokrajhar offers a unique lens into how conflict can affect maternal health outcomes. Conflict is recognized as a public health issue and a key social determinant of health, affecting the accessibility, quality, and equity of maternal healthcare. Using secondary data from the Management Information System (HMIS), the chapter analyzes the indicators of maternal health, such as antenatal care coverage, institutional deliveries, the prevalence of anemia, and access to postnatal services. The findings underscore that conflict-affected areas like Kokrajhar still face significant gaps in maternal health compared to aspirational districts that receive focused development support. The chapter argues for the implementation of policies that address improving healthcare access by incorporating an understanding of the long-term impacts of conflict on maternal health. Ensuring that conflict-affected regions like Kokrajhar are not excluded from broader efforts to enhance maternal health outcomes requires policies that consider both healthcare access and the lasting long-term impacts of conflict, especially when compared to development-focused aspirational districts.