How project “Janam Shakti” is bearing fruit in Punjab’s Ferozepur, leading to better maternal health

This medical intervention was rolled out to reduce preventable maternal deaths by strengthening healthcare delivery systems.

According to data, maternal deaths reduced to 0-1 in the past five months from 2-5 per month earlier, while home deliveries (women giving birth at home instead of hospital, without any natal care) dropped to 4 in 2024-25 from 308 (2023-24), and just 1 until June 2025.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Sharma said: “In 2024, the MMR in Ferozepur district was at an all-time high at 440. We were losing 3-5 mothers almost every month. With almost 75-80% vacancies in the medical side and demotivated accredited social health activists (ASHAs), the picture was very dismal. Since I took over in September 2024, we religiously sat with ASHA workers every week to sort out the issue. Now, we have maintained nearly zero maternal deaths for the past five months, and the MMR has reduced to 55.5 in 2025. The NITI Aayog’s award money has helped us to rope in JHPIEGO for Phase-2 interventions.”

The US-based organisation — JHPIEGO (Johns Hopkins Program for International Education in Gynecology and Obstetrics) — collaborates with national governments, local communities, and health experts “to build systems that guarantee healthier futures for women and their families”.

Founded in 1973, according to its official website, Dr Theodore M King — an early innovator and champion for women’s health — “was the moving force behind the founding of JHPIEGO, an affiliate of Johns Hopkins University”.

Explaining how the situation was improved, Sharma said: “Maternal death review (MDR) meetings had not been held for two years in the district. Each maternal death was analysed with frontline workers and doctors to understand the cause, and identify preventable lapses. Further, a dedicated WhatsApp group was created to track high-risk pregnancies and monitor them closely by linking staff nurses, medical officers, doctors, and enabling real-time coordination in time of need to refer them to bigger facilities. To improve early detection of complications, special camps under the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) were also organised across blocks.”

The road ahead

Ferozepur — among one of the two selected districts under the Centre government’s Aspirational District Programme (ADP) — received an award money of Rs 5 crore, of which Rs 1 crore will be utilised for Project Janam Shakti, in coordination with JHPIEGO, Sharma said. Over the next 18 months, JHPIEGO will work with authorities to develop a sustainable model for maternal mortality reduction in the district.

“The quality of Maternal Death Surveillance and Response (MDSR) is a concern. At 59%, the ‘unspecified reasons’ is the major cause of maternal deaths, followed by obstetric haemorrhage (15.3%), and hypertensive disorders (8.5%). It indicates poor case documentation. Then there is limited or minimal community awareness — over 60% of deaths were linked to delays in seeking care.

To address these challenges, JHPIEGO will work with the district administration to strengthen service delivery, build capacity around evidence-based practices, and support in improving data quality with special focus on MDSR strengthening and digitisation, to enable the availability of quality data for timely decision-making,” Sharma said.