Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecological Societies of India (FOGSI) has successfully completed the 'Suprabha Ganga Yatra,' an awareness drive on 'Safe Motherhood' which conducted health camps in towns and villages. The event, which was flagged off on January 17, 2006, covered 5 states included 100 towns.
The 2400 km walkathon had 30-40 FOGSI member doctors walking 20 km everyday from Gangasagar to Gaumukh and Gangotri. They visited villages along the Ganges, conducted health camps for women, with a special focus on younger women, educated them on reproductive health, vaccinated young girls with Rubella vaccine in order to protect them against German measles during pregnancy, giving basic medicines, iron and calcium tablets, etc.
According to the release, 'Suprabha Ganga Yatra' was an intensive, nationwide effort to spread Safe Motherhood messages and practices among the rural population throughout India by educating them on Safe Motherhood in their own local languages. The objective behind the Yatra was to make rural women aware of the services that are available to them today, stated Dr. Duru Shah, President, Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecological Societies of India.
Maternal Mortality is most ignored public health problem across the world. Around 600,000 women die of pregnancy-related causes globally and 99% of these deaths occur in developing countries. India alone accounts for 25% of these deaths, and has the third highest maternal mortality rate at 407 per 1,00,000 births, below Timor-Leste (800) and Nepal (415) in the South-East Asia region. Even countries like Thailand and Malaysia have a lower Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) than India.