Assam's Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) has plummeted from 480 deaths per one lakh live births to 84, Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced on Friday, 26 June, citing the latest Sample Registration System (SRS) Bulletin 2022-23. The figure places Assam four points below the national average of 88, marking a historic turnaround for a state that once ranked among the worst performers on maternal health in India.

Scale of the Turnaround

The decline of nearly 400 points over roughly two decades is among the steepest recorded by any Indian state on this indicator. According to the SRS 2022-23 report, Assam now ranks 10th among Indian states on MMR — a dramatic climb from the bottom of national health tables. The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) findings corroborate the improvement, according to Sarma.

Sarma recalled that when he first assumed charge as the state's Health Minister in 2006, Assam's MMR stood at approximately 480 per one lakh live births, lagging nearly 300 points behind the national average at the time. 'From 480 to 84 — that is the steep fall in Assam's Maternal Mortality Ratio. Today, Assam's MMR is well below the national average. This is a shining endorsement of our multi-faceted approach, ranging from increased expenditure on healthcare to sustained behavioural change initiatives aimed at improving maternal health,' he said.

What Drove the Improvement

The Chief Minister attributed the reversal to a combination of policy interventions sustained over two decades. Key drivers cited include expansion of healthcare infrastructure, a push for institutional deliveries, improved maternal and child healthcare services, enhanced budgetary allocations, and awareness campaigns targeting expectant mothers.

Sarma also claimed that Assam's public healthcare system is now counted among the most efficient in the country — a claim that, if borne out by independent assessments, would represent a structural shift rather than a statistical anomaly.

National Context and Significance

India's national MMR of 88 (SRS 2022-23) itself reflects years of improvement from historically high levels. Assam's trajectory — from being nearly 300 points above the national average to four points below it — is particularly notable given the state's geographic and socioeconomic challenges, including remote terrain, high tribal population density, and historically limited healthcare access in rural districts.

This comes amid a broader national push to meet Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) targets on maternal health, which call for an MMR below 70 per one lakh live births by 2030. Assam's current figure of 84, while a landmark achievement, indicates further ground to cover before the SDG threshold is reached.

What the Government Said

'Today, Assam is no longer a laggard in healthcare. We have established our identity as a contributing state in India's health and development journey,' Sarma said at a public programme. He added that the government would continue strengthening the health sector to sustain the gains achieved over the past two decades.

With Assam now firmly below the national average, the next benchmark will be closing the remaining gap to the SDG target — and whether the institutional and budgetary momentum can be maintained beyond electoral cycles.