The National Human Rights Commission (NHRC), India has taken suo motu cognizance of a media report about the deaths of 53 expecting mothers during pre and post-delivery in the Sidhi district of Madhya Pradesh in one year between April 2025 and March 2026 primarily due to lack of awareness and medical facilities. Reportedly, the Sidhi district has consistently ranked among the bottom three districts in the Community Maternal Health League grading conducted by the State Health Department.

The Commission has observed that the contents of the media report, if true, raise a serious issue of violation of human rights. Therefore, it has issued a notice to the Chief Secretary, Government of Madhya Pradesh, seeking a detailed report within two weeks.

According to the media report, carried on 29^th May 2026, out of the 53 maternal deaths, the average age of the deceased has been reported to be 26 years, with most of them first or second-time mothers. The news report has also revealed a lack of basic infrastructure, including doctors and technical experts at Community Health Centres, Primary Health Centres and the District Hospital, due to which patients are referred to higher medical facilities in the faraway Rewa District, risking life in transit. Reportedly, an ambulance driver disclosed that several villages do not have proper road connectivity in Sidhi District, complicating matters further during the monsoon season. The pregnant women have to be carried on cots for two to three kilometres before reaching an ambulance.

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NSK