Bengaluru, Apr 4 (PTI) Nearly 70 per cent of maternal deaths that occurred between April 1 and December 31, 2024, could have been prevented by following certain practices such as optimising cesarean rates and ensuring health facility preparedness, according to the interim maternal death audit report released by the Health and Family Welfare Department on Friday.

Following a sudden spurt in maternal deaths in Ballari during November 2024, the Karnataka government constituted a technical team of experts to examine all maternal deaths from April 1, 2024, and submit an audit report.

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According to the report, out of the 464 maternal deaths analysed across districts in the state during this period, 18 were linked to the use of substandard Ringer Lactate solution, reportedly supplied by West Bengal-based manufacturer Paschim Banga Pharmaceuticals.

Of the 18 maternal deaths associated with the Ringer Lactate issue, five were reported in Ballari, four in Raichur, four in Bengaluru Urban, three in Uttara Kannada, and one each in the Yadgir and Belagavi districts.

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The audit found that 65 per cent of the total maternal deaths occurred in government hospitals, 22 per cent in private hospitals, 10 per cent in transit, and 2 per cent at home.

It noted that the 10 deaths that occurred in transit were caused due to "negligence of the service providers."

The report also revealed that 50 per cent of the maternal deaths occurred among women aged 19 to 25 years, while 6 per cent were among women aged above 35.

Further, 72 per cent of the deaths were among first-time and second-time pregnant women.

Notably, 68.5 per cent of the women who died had one or more risk factors such as hypertension, diabetes, infections, or severe anemia—indicating that high-risk pregnancies significantly contributed to maternal mortality.

In contrast, 31 per cent of the deaths occurred in women with no known risk factors.

The audit report stated that 37 per cent of the maternal deaths followed normal deliveries, while 63 per cent were associated with cesarean sections.

According to the state government, Karnataka has made steady progress in reducing maternal deaths and has already achieved the Sustainable Development Goal of a Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) below 70 by 2030.

"As per the latest 2024–25 statistics, the state MMR is 57. Compared to the previous financial year, maternal deaths have decreased in the first three months of this year. In January–March 2024, 148 maternal deaths were reported, while in the same period in 2025, the number dropped to 102," the department said in a statement.

The state-level expert committee also submitted 27 recommendations to improve the quality of antenatal, intrapartum, and postpartum services in healthcare facilities.

Key recommendations include capacity building, equipping facilities with essential drugs and equipment, strengthening blood storage units, and mandating hospital stays of three days after normal delivery and seven days after cesarean delivery.

The committee also recommended post-mortem examinations in cases where the cause of death is unclear.

"Birth planning should be done for all pregnant women, including decisions on the time, place, and mode of delivery. Necessary logistics such as transportation—via 108 services or local transport—should be discussed and finalised well before the expected delivery date," the report stated.

According to the Health Department, the committee reviewed all maternal deaths, including those in private facilities, that occurred in Karnataka from April 1 to December 31, 2024.

The audits were conducted by examining healthcare processes based on medical records and oral submissions from doctors and specialists involved in the care of the deceased patients.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)