Covid-19 indirectly led to high maternal mortality in Karnataka

Pregnant mothers, especially in lower-income and rural backgrounds, were deprived of dietary aids and necessary information about their pregnancy

The Covid-19 pandemic indirectly worsened anaemia levels and the mortality rate of pregnant women in the state, data shows.

According to information from Minister of Health K Sudhakar, not only have the deaths of pregnant women in labour increased from April 2020 but 11 districts showed that more pregnant women required blood transfusions than in 2019-20.

This indicates heightened levels of anaemia.

Five districts showed a three-year historic increase in the number of mothers requiring blood transfusions -- Bagalkot, Bengaluru Urban, Belagavi, Kalaburagi and Raichur.

During 2020-21 fiscal, 10,251 pregnant women in these districts required blood transfusions, representing a 56% increase in transfusions compared to 6,750 women who required transfusions in 2018-2019.

The remaining six districts (Bengaluru Rural, Chamarajanagar, Mandya, Ramnagara, Tumakuru and Udupi) showed a 71% increase in transfusions when compared to 2019-20 (3,302 women compared to 1,927 women in 2019-20).

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However, these districts had a higher rate of transfusion in 2018-2019. Experts pointed out that these by themselves may not represent the full picture as blood donations were themselves hobbled during the first and the second waves.

The increased transfusions are indirectly linked to the pandemic, explained Dr Rajkumar N, deputy director (Maternal Health), Department of Health and Family Welfare, who said that the outbreak had interfered with the routine health checks and support required for maternity care.

Pregnant mothers, especially in lower-income and rural backgrounds, were deprived of dietary aids, such as Iron Folic Acid (IFA) pills to combat anaemia and necessary information about the state of their pregnancy, according to Dr Savitha C, Head of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Vani Vilas Hospital.

According to official data, three districts (Davangere, Shivamogga and Uttara Kannada) showed a marked decline in the consumption of these tablets in 2020-21, compared to two years before.

The data also showed that 12 women died while in labour during the 2020 to 2021 fiscal year, due to anaemia, high blood pressure, heart problems, urinary tract infections and other non-Covid problems. This is higher than the 10 fatalities recorded in 2019-20 and eight fatalities recorded in 2018-19.

Adding to these fatalities are a larger number of overall pregnant women deaths. At Vani Vilas hospital, a critical care non-Covid pregnancy hospital often taking in cases from other districts, between one and four pregnant mothers died every month in the years before Covid-19. That rate has now increased to between five and 10 a month. This again goes back to disruptions posed by the pandemic, Dr Savitha explained.

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