IIT Madras Study Finds Tamil Nadu Maternal Health Surpassed Pre-Pandemic Levels

A study led by researchers at IIT Madras has found that Tamil Nadu's maternal and newborn health indicators rebounded and surpassed pre-pandemic levels between 2023 and 2024. The research, which analyzed ambulance registry data from 2017 to 2024, showed that the state's healthcare system emerged stronger despite severe disruptions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The study, published in the peer-reviewed journal BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth, was led by Prof P Kandaswamy, a retired IPS officer and professor of practice at IIT Madras’s departments of management studies and data science and AI. The findings present a counter-narrative to the severe disruptions witnessed during the pandemic.

When the second Covid wave hit Tamil Nadu in 2021, pregnant women faced significant challenges. Hospitals overflowed, lockdowns restricted clinic access, and home deliveries surged by 66.3% compared to pre-pandemic levels. The maternal mortality rate nearly doubled during this period.

However, data from 2023 and 2024 showed a significant recovery. Compared to pre-pandemic baselines, home deliveries decreased by 36.1%, miscarriages dropped by 28%, and complicated vaginal births fell by 19.2%.

The state also saw a 17% decrease in neonatal mortality and a 14% drop in infant mortality. Furthermore, the maternal mortality ratio fell to 37 deaths per 100,000 live births, representing a 19% drop from pre-pandemic levels.

Researchers attributed these improvements to sustained government investments in emergency infrastructure. Following the first pandemic wave, the state expanded its ambulance fleet, recruited more paramedics and obstetricians, and introduced risk-stratified antenatal care under schemes such as the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan and the Dr Muthulakshmi Reddy Maternity Benefit Scheme.

As a result of these interventions, ambulance response times for non-facility calls fell by up to 52.7% against pre-pandemic benchmarks.

Co-author Ashwin Prakash of Moody's Analytics, Bengaluru, noted that maternal and newborn health indicators showed substantial improvement in the post-pandemic resilient phase.

While the researchers cautioned that better emergency systems alone do not directly cause fewer deaths and may be difficult to replicate in states with weaker infrastructure, they concluded that investing in emergency healthcare during a crisis can save lives long after the crisis ends.