On 11 April, National Safe Motherhood Day (NSMD) raises awareness about women’s healthcare and maternity facilities for pregnant and lactating women. Additionally, this day emphasizes reducing anaemia among women, institutional delivery, and better pre-and postnatal care for mothers. The day was first observed in 2003 and is an opportunity to highlight the challenges faced by pregnant women and new mothers, as well as the steps that can be taken to ensure their health and well-being.
National Safe Motherhood Day 2023: Theme
The theme of National Safe Motherhood Day 2023 has yet to be announced. On this day, events are held based on a new theme each year. Here are the themes from the last three years of National Safe Motherhood Day.
- 2022: Remain at home while Coronaviruses are present, protect mother and infant from Coronaviruses.
- 2021: Stay at home during coronavirus, keep mother and newborn safe from coronavirus.
- 2019: Midwives for mothers
National Safe Motherhood Day (NSMD): History
In order to celebrate this day, we would like to inform you that the White Ribbon Alliance India (WRAI) took the initiative to provide and inform women about healthcare habits, as well as the availability and accessibility of healthcare programs during pregnancy, childbirth, and postnatal. According to WRAI’s request, in 2003, the Government of India declared 11 April as National Safe Motherhood Day, which is the anniversary of Kasturba Gandhi’s birth. She is the wife of Mohan das Karam Chand Gandhi, the father of the nation.
India has made significant progress in reducing maternal mortality rates in recent years, one more thing is India still has one of the highest rates of maternal deaths in the world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), an estimated 35,000 women die due to complications during pregnancy and childbirth in India each year. Many of these deaths are preventable, and National Safe Motherhood Day is an opportunity to raise awareness about the steps that can be taken to prevent them.
To address this issue, the Indian government has implemented a number of initiatives to improve access to healthcare for pregnant women. These include the Janani Suraksha Yojana, which provides financial assistance to women to access healthcare services during pregnancy and childbirth, and the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan, which provides free antenatal care to pregnant women on the 9th of every month.
Read More: Important Days and Dates in April 2023
National Safe Motherhood Day: Significance
National Safe Motherhood Day is an important occasion to raise awareness about the challenges faced by pregnant women and new mothers in India, and to highlight the steps that can be taken to ensure their health and well-being. By working together to improve access to quality healthcare and promote healthy behaviors during pregnancy, we can help to reduce maternal mortality rates and ensure that every woman has a safe and healthy pregnancy and childbirth experience.
It is important to recognize that safe motherhood is not just the responsibility of individual women, but also of society as a whole. This includes ensuring that women have access to education and economic opportunities, as well as addressing social and cultural practices that can contribute to maternal mortality rates, such as early marriage and inadequate family planning.