Home births drop by 80 per cent in Malappuram
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Malappuram, which once reported the highest number of home births in Kerala, has witnessed a remarkable turnaround this year with an 80% drop in such cases. The district reported 36 home births so far in the current financial year, a major drop from 191 reported in the previous fiscal. The demise of 35-year-old Asma, who bled to death during a home birth at her rented house in Malappuram on April 5, proved a turning point. Following the botched delivery, field workers, with the backing of religious leaders, successfully persuaded families to shift to institutional deliveries. There was a marked change after Asmas death. We have been closely monitoring pregnant women to sustain the awareness, said Dr Pameeli N N, Malappuram district reproductive and child health officer. The authorities, which included members from local bodies, the women and child development department and the police, actively worked to curb the existing tendency of encouraging home births. Dr Pameeli emphasised that religious leaders intervened when other options failed. Field-level officers were able to convert over 40 planned home births to institutional deliveries, she said. 8 home births attributed to migrant labourers Of the 36 home births, eight were attributed to migrant labourers whom the authorities could not track, while two were from relatively inaccessible tribal areas of Nagamala in Idukki. Malappuram was where people from other districts visited for home births. This too changed after the government took strong action in the wake of Asmas death. The rise in home births had posed a threat to Keralas hard-won success in maternal and infant health. In 2024 alone, the department linked 17 stillbirths and 12 neonatal deaths to home births. Malappuram, in particular, was at the centre of the crisis, recording 1,244 home births out of 2,931 total deliveries between 2019 and September 2024. Frustrated by the recurring cases, Dr K Pratibha, a medical officer at Tanur Family Health Centre in Malappuram, escalated the issue through official channels and eventually approached the Kerala High Court, seeking strict government action and clear guidelines on preventing such practices. In 2023, while posted at Thanaloor FHC, she dealt with 17 home birth cases in a single month. Her persistent efforts, combined with mounting pressure from the public and judiciary, helped bring the issue to the spotlight.
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