A Comparison of The Various Maternal Health Indicators and Its Association To Infant Mortality Rate in the BIMARU States Built on The NFHS-4 and NFHS-5 Data

Aim: The present research aims to compare the maternal health indicators and its association to infant mortality rate in the BIMARU states built on the NFHS-4 and NFHS-5 Data. It also presents an uphill or downhill growth pattern in the BIMARU states. Material Method: The methodology that was applied to do the research work was a narrative, descriptive. The NFHS 4&5 fact sheets for the BIMARU states namely Bihar, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh were used. From the last NFHS-4 and the recent NFHS-5 data, a comparison was done for the BIMARU states for the various maternal health indicators. Result and Discussion: The various tables display the various health indicators. Conclusion: There has been a consistent improvement made by the BIMARU states in the field of maternal health indicators as per NFHS-5 compared to NFHS-4 data. The comparative result shows a decrease of Infant Mortality Rate in the BIMARU states. However, there is still a vast scope for improvement in the health parameters of the pregnant women all the BIMARU states. However, Uttar Pradesh needs major efforts to improve their NMR and IMR data.