Maternal Health in India: Contemporary Issues and Challenges Akram, Mohammad

In India, the inequalities prevailing in maternal health care services adversely affect the ‘life chances’ and ‘capabilities’ of the mothers, as well as their children. The prevalence of high rates of miscarriages, stillbirths, congenital diseases, neonatal mortalities, infant mortalities, and maternal mortalities necessitate a close scrutiny of the prevailing policies and academic approaches related to the issues. The problems are not merely related to the inadequacy of health care facilities or their improper distribution. The approaches of various state governments in India are themselves redundant and obscure. The book depicts how the skewed obsession of policy makers and health agencies, along with ignorance towards the interwoven social determinants of health, result in adverse health outcomes. From diverse perspectives, the book examines India’s states of Uttar Pradesh, Kerala, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Maharashtra, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, and Manipur. The essays offer an appraisal of the reproductive trajectory from pregnancy to childbirth across religious, regional, economic, occupational, ethnic, and educational backgrounds.