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India

In India, access to healthcare is greatly hampered by the lack of skilled healthcare workers. There are only 2.1 nurses and midwives per 1,000 people, and as many as 73 districts across the country’s 593 districts have no nurses with medical qualifications. Additionally, there are striking urban-rural disparities in access to healthcare. Only 40.8% of healthcare workers are serving in rural areas where 72.2% of India’s population of 1.3 billion lives. The lack of nurses and midwives has contributed to India’s relatively high neonatal and infant mortality rates, which are almost twice as high in rural areas compared to urban areas. While the maternal mortality ratio has been decreasing steadily over the years, thousands of women still die from pregnancy-related causes, indicating that more must be done to protect mothers.

Recognizing the urgent need to enhance access to basic quality health services in India, CHWI aims to:

  • Reduce the health worker coverage gap by increasing the number of Auxiliary Nurse Midwives for community-based primary care through high quality training programs
  • Enhance the quality of care by leveraging technology to support delivery of health services such as essential maternal and newborn care
  • Strengthen primary and community-based health

Partners in India include:

Learn More About Programs in India