In 2008, the Vadodara district health authorities have recorded over 43 registered maternal deaths. Experts feel problems like late registration by expecting mothers, lack of timely medication are a few reasons behind such cases.

The number of registered deaths in 2007 was 75. The late registration has been more prevalent in the rural blocks of Naswadi, Kawant and Chhota Udepur having a large number of migrant families.

A two-day reviewing and planning workshop was organised by the District Reproductive and Child Health department with the UNICEF. Experts identified two major lapses --- non-identification of expecting mothers in time and lack of awareness among ASHA workers on usage of the pregnancy kits supplied by the health department --- which are responsible for the increasing number of maternal deaths in Vadodara .

"For tailoring the budget for the year 2009-10, the workshop was organised to identify the areas which need more attention to enhance child health," said Dr Kamlesh Parmar, State Immunisation Officer, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

"Among women who are left out on registration, over 10 to 12 per cent of pregnant women belong to the migrant lot. We need to train the ASHA workers to identify these women on time, so that they can be given proper medication," said R V Patel, Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) officer.

The training will be conducted in collaboration with the UNICEF officials who will assist the government health officials with logistic management, supervision and immunisation practices. "The expecting women should ideally be registered within 12 weeks, but the lack of health awareness in the rural areas and social stringency, the registration level is low.

The ASHA workers have to spread awareness and identify the expecting mothers," said Patel.