An epidemiological study of mortality among mothers admitted in a rural tertiary hospital of West Bengal

BACKGROUND: Maternal mortality reflects the quality of obstetric services given to pregnant women in the community. OBJECTIVES: The objectives of this study were to calculate the maternal mortality rate in a teaching institution, to assess the epidemiological aspects of maternal mortality, and to assess the different causes of maternal mortality. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This was a retrospective study where individual records of all maternal deaths occurring in our hospital during the past 6 years from 2009 to 2014 were studied. The cause of death and the factors which led to death in each individual case were analyzed. RESULTS: A total of 105 maternal deaths occurred during the study period. The mean maternal mortality ratio in the study period was 233/100,000 live births. Most maternal deaths (37.14%) occurred in the age group of 20-24 years, multiparous women (74.28%) and in women from rural areas (70.47%). Most of the women were unbooked or unregistered patients (64.76%), and 40.95% cases were referred cases. Direct causes accounted for 90.47% of maternal deaths whereas 9.52% of maternal deaths were due to indirect causes. Hemorrhage (26.6%) and eclampsia (27.6%) were the major direct causes of maternal deaths. CONCLUSION: There is scope for improvement as a large proportion of the observed deaths are preventable. Improving the rural health centers, upgrading the referral centers, and proper transport system is the need of the hour.