Madhya Pradesh has identified nearly two lakh high-risk pregnancies out of 6.2 lakh pregnant women registered on the state's Anmol health monitoring portal, yet only around 30 per cent of these high-risk cases are being admitted to healthcare institutions sufficiently ahead of delivery. The gap surfaced during a review meeting of National Health Mission (NHM) programmes held in Bhopal on 28 October 2026.

Review Meeting and Directives

The NHM review was chaired by Deputy Chief Minister and Health Minister Rajendra Shukla, who directed officials to strengthen timely identification, follow-up, and treatment of high-risk pregnancies across the state. Shukla stressed that responsibilities of both officials and field health workers must be clearly defined, and that implementation of maternal and child health programmes should be monitored on a regular basis.

He also directed officials to ensure timely registration of pregnant women and completion of all scheduled antenatal check-ups. Screening under the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan was highlighted as a priority, along with greater community awareness about routine medical examinations and institutional deliveries.

How the Monitoring System Works

Follow-up of the identified high-risk pregnancies is being tracked through the Suman Integrated Command Centre, which shares real-time information with ASHA workers and district-level officials. The Anmol portal serves as the central registry, aggregating data across districts to flag vulnerable cases early. Despite this infrastructure, the 30 per cent timely-admission figure points to persistent last-mile gaps in translating digital tracking into physical care.

Key Maternal Health Statistics

According to Sample Registration System (SRS) data for 2022-24, Madhya Pradesh recorded a maternal mortality ratio (MMR) of 135 deaths per one lakh live births — a figure that underscores the urgency of improving institutional delivery rates. The state reported 90.6 per cent first-trimester registration of pregnant women and 93.4 per cent institutional deliveries up to September 2026 in the current financial year.

To support maternity care, Madhya Pradesh currently operates 35 obstetric intensive care units, 109 first referral units, and 229 birth waiting homes. For newborn and paediatric care, the state has 62 Special Newborn Care Units, 200 Newborn Stabilisation Units, 24 Mother Newborn Care Units, 68 Paediatric Intensive Care Units, and 318 Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres.

Telemedicine and Rural Access

Shukla also directed officials to expand specialist access in rural and remote areas through e-Sanjeevani, the Centre's telemedicine platform. Between April and September 2026, e-Sanjeevani facilitated 59,914 general teleconsultations and 10,890 specialist consultations in the state. The minister called for addressing service availability gaps, ensuring necessary equipment is in place, and regularly reviewing uptake of the facility.

Child Health and Nutrition Gaps

The Deputy Chief Minister additionally called for strengthening treatment facilities for newborns and critically ill children, along with intensifying programmes to address malnutrition, anaemia, diarrhoea, and pneumonia — conditions that remain disproportionately prevalent in the state's rural and tribal belt. This comes amid broader national concern over stalled progress on under-five mortality in central Indian states. How swiftly the directives translate into field-level action will determine whether Madhya Pradesh can meaningfully reduce its MMR in the coming years.