Home / Health / Tamil Nadu Slashes Maternal Mortality by 56% Through Singapore Healthcare Partnership
Tamil Nadu Slashes Maternal Mortality by 56% Through Singapore Healthcare Partnership
13 Nov
Summary
- Over 1,000 healthcare professionals trained in maternal and child care
- Maternal mortality ratio in Tamil Nadu drops from 90 to 39.5 per 100,000 live births
- New cadre of Master Trainers developed to sustain knowledge sharing
In 2025, a collaborative effort between the Singapore International Foundation, SingHealth, and Tamil Nadu's Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine has led to significant improvements in maternal and child healthcare across the state.
The Enhancing Maternal and Child Health Services (EMCH) Project, launched in 2015, has trained over 1,000 healthcare professionals in the past decade. This training has contributed to a substantial reduction in maternal mortality in Tamil Nadu, with the state's maternal mortality ratio dropping from 90 per 100,000 live births in 2021-2022 to just 39.5 per 100,000 live births in 2024-2025.
Building on the success of the initial phase, the project's second phase (2023-2025) has extended its reach to Primary Health Centres, enhancing the management of high-risk pregnancies and neonatal emergencies. An additional 144 professionals have been trained, and a new cadre of Master Trainers has been developed to ensure the sustainability of knowledge sharing within Tamil Nadu's healthcare ecosystem.
The collaboration between Singapore and Tamil Nadu has been instrumental in improving maternal and child healthcare outcomes in the state, and the state's Health Minister has expressed optimism that this partnership will lead to further reductions in maternal mortality in the years to come.
