Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda has said that in the last ten years, the government is continuously strengthening the healthcare facilities for women during pregnancy through the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan. Mr Nadda said this while launching the nationwide celebrations to commemorate ten years of the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan in New Delhi on Tuesday. As part of the celebrations, awareness and outreach activities will be organized across States and Union Territories to encourage pregnant women and their families to avail the free services. Mr Nadda added that the initiative has ensured that women in the country are not deprived of the healthcare they require during pregnancy and it has assisted in providing timely medical treatment to them. He highlighted that the maternal mortality ratio has declined by 86 per cent.

Launched in June 2016, PMSMA is a flagship initiative by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, designed to provide assured, comprehensive, and quality antenatal care services free of cost to all pregnant women on the 9th of every month. The initiative is aimed reducing maternal and neonatal mortality by facilitating early detection and prompt management of high-risk pregnancies.