Tamil Nadu health sector officials briefed on the state's progress regarding the maternal mortality ratio (MMR).

As recorded in the Health Management Information System, the MMR dropped from 52.3 per one lakh to 45.5 per one lakh in one year (2022-23 to 2023-24).

Under the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, the state has Health Unit Districts (HUD) that are the highest technical and administrative units at the district level. 

The Virudhunagar HUD, which shares responsibility with 22 primary health centers, has remarkably attained zero maternal deaths out of 7991 deliveries in 2023-2024, dropping from 6 deaths out of 8483 live births in 2022-23.

The officials attribute this success to the cooperative referral system among the primary, secondary, and tertiary care health centers.

The improved infrastructure at Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and Newborn Care, where high-risk pregnant women are referred, has also contributed to the change.