Institutional child delivery and its implications in India with a focus on West Bengal

The situation of maternal and child health has been improving in India over time. One of the vital parameters of assessing maternal and child health that have been exhibiting an increasing trend is the institutionalization of child delivery. The overall scenario in carrying out child birth process in healthcare institutions, both public and private, has been improving though inter-state as well as intra-state disparities are conspicuous. This has invariably improved the child survival rate in the country and has effectively reduced the maternal mortality rate as well. The southern States like Kerala, Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka have showcased a better progress in this respect while the backward States like Bihar, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan are lagging far behind. In fact, the State of West Bengal matches no way with the rapidly progressing States of the south. This paper is an attempt to highlight the condition of child delivery processes in the country with an intra-state as well as inter-state approach.