According to the 2023 Sample Registration System (SRS) report by the Registrar General of India, it has come to light that 2.5% of women nationwide — around six lakh deliveries — take place either with the help of untrained women or without any medical assistance. The percentage of deliveries conducted by untrained women or others is 2.3% in rural areas and 1.1% in urban areas. Deliveries without any medical help account for 0.7% in rural regions and 0.1% in cities.The report further states that 72.5% of deliveries in India occurred in government hospitals, while 23.4% took place in private hospitals. The remaining 2.7% were conducted by qualified doctors in non-hospital settings, and 2% were handled by trained birth attendants. In rural areas, 76.4% of deliveries were in government hospitals, compared to 56.7% in urban areas. This indicates that women in rural regions rely more on government hospitals, whereas urban women show greater trust in private hospitals. Nevertheless, the practice of childbirth without medical assistance still exists in the country, raising fears of higher maternal and infant mortality rates. The health department needs to create strong awareness programmes to prevent such unsafe deliveries.
