Agartala, 9th June 2026: The Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA), one of India’s flagship maternal healthcare initiatives, marked its 10th anniversary on Tuesday, celebrating a decade of significant achievements in improving the health and safety of pregnant women and newborns across the country.
Launched on June 9, 2016, by the Government of India, the program has emerged as a vital platform for ensuring quality antenatal care. Over the past ten years, more than 7.5 crore pregnant women have benefited from free and comprehensive antenatal health services under the scheme.
Addressing a commemorative event in New Delhi, Union Health Minister J. P. Nadda highlighted the remarkable impact of PMSMA on maternal healthcare outcomes. He called upon specialist doctors to voluntarily participate in the initiative and contribute their expertise toward ensuring safe pregnancies and healthy childbirths. The Minister also expressed gratitude to healthcare workers at all levels, particularly ASHA workers, whose dedication has played a crucial role in the successful implementation of the program.
To celebrate the milestone, special PMSMA sessions were organized across all eight districts of Tripura, alongside similar events nationwide. During these sessions, pregnant women visited nearby health facilities to avail themselves of a range of services, including antenatal check-ups, blood and urine investigations, health screenings, and consultations with specialist doctors. Particular attention was given to identifying high-risk pregnancies and ensuring timely follow-up care.
Under PMSMA, special antenatal clinics are conducted on the 9th day of every month, where pregnant women receive expert medical supervision, ultrasonography services, essential medicines, nutritional guidance, and counseling on safe motherhood practices. One of the key objectives of the scheme is the early detection and management of High-Risk Pregnancies (HRP) to prevent complications during pregnancy and childbirth.
Health authorities have identified 25 major risk factors requiring close monitoring, including severe anemia, gestational hypertension, diabetes, twin pregnancies, adolescent pregnancies, infectious diseases, and other medical and obstetric complications. The systematic identification and management of such cases have significantly improved maternal health outcomes across the country.
The impact of PMSMA is reflected in India’s declining Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR), which fell from 130 deaths per 100,000 live births during 2014–16 to 87 during 2022–24. At the same time, the detection rate of high-risk pregnancies increased substantially from 5.83 percent to 22.20 percent.
In Tripura, the Health and Family Welfare Department continues to implement PMSMA activities regularly, focusing on quality maternal healthcare, early identification of high-risk pregnancies, and ensuring safe institutional deliveries. Officials said the program remains a cornerstone of the state’s efforts to safeguard the health and well-being of mothers and newborns.
