GUWAHATI: In a remarkable public health milestone, Assam has recorded a sweeping decline in its Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR), dropping from 480 deaths per one lakh live births to just 84 now outperforming the national average of 88, according to the Sample Registration System (SRS) Bulletin 2022–23.
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Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma announced the achievement at a public event, calling it a defining moment in the state's healthcare journey. "From 480 to 84, that is the story of a transformation," he said, crediting the turnaround to decades of policy reform, infrastructure expansion, and sustained awareness campaigns around maternal health.
Sarma, who served as the state's Health Minister in 2006, recalled that Assam once ranked among the worst-performing states on nearly every national health indicator, trailing the national average by nearly 300 points. Today, the state has climbed to 10th place among Indian states in MMR rankings, a sharp reversal of fortunes by any measure.
The improvement has been driven by a combination of increased healthcare spending, wider institutional delivery networks, stronger maternal and child health services, and targeted behavioural change programmes encouraging expectant mothers to seek timely medical care.
Sarma affirmed that the government intends to build on these gains, positioning Assam not just as a state that has caught up, but as one actively contributing to India's broader health and development goals.