As per National family Health Survey (NFHS-IV) data 54.6 percent pregnant women in Madhya Pradesh are anaemic; out of which 56.4 percent are from rural areas and 49.2 percent from urban areas.
As per reports of Registrar General of India's Sample Registration System (RGI-SRS) reports on Maternal Mortality in India 1997-2003, Trends, Causes and Risk factors , Haemorrhage contributes to around 38% of maternal deaths followed by 34% under ‘Others Category’ of which Anaemia is leading indirect and associated cause of maternal death.
Anaemia is not a direct obstetric cause of maternal death, however it may be a contributory factor in aggravating the effects of obstetric complications like haemorrhage and increased risk of death due to infections and poor risk assessment in case of caesarean sections. The higher haemorrhage percentage is also consistent with the high background rates of anaemia reported among Indian women.
As per National family Health Survey (NFHS-IV) data all the 5 mentioned districts i.e. Jhabua, Khargone, Chhindwara, Vidisha, Guna have a high percentage of Pregnant women age 15-49 years who are anaemic which is 74.2, 59.3,55.9, 55.5, 55 and 53.6 respectively.
The steps taken by Government to prevent and treat anaemia amongst women are that Ministry of Health and Family Welfare in 2013 launched “National Iron Plus Initiative” as a comprehensive strategy to combat the public health challenge of Iron Deficiency Anaemia prevalent across the life cycle.
States have also been asked to encourage private doctors to provide free services in these camps especially for pregnant women who are in their 2nd & 3rd trimester.
Universal screening of pregnant women for anaemia is a part of ante-natal care and all pregnant women are
provided iron and folic acid tablets during their ante-natal visits through the existing
network of sub-centres and
primary health centres and other health facilities as well as through outreach activities at Village Health & Nutrition Days (VHNDs).
Every pregnant woman is given iron and folic acid, after the first trimester, to be taken 1 tablet daily for 6 months during ante-natal and post-natal period.