In current years, India has seen vital strides in maternal well being, however the challenges are very actual. As per the Sample Registration System, the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) in India bettered from 130 per 1 lakh reside births in 2014–16 to 97 per 1 lakh reside births in 2018–20. Still, which means virtually 25,000 moms die a 12 months from pregnancy-related causes. While, virtually 50% of all pregnancies are thought of “high-risk.”
About 49.4% of girls in a current survey had a number of high-risk elements throughout being pregnant with over 16% having a number of danger elements. Expecting moms want holistic assist.
Evolving cowl
Maternity insurance coverage is evolving. Beyond overlaying hospital payments and problems, new programmes are delivering a spread of care that addresses bodily, emotional, psychological and non secular dimensions of being pregnant. These options are designed to assist moms all through their journey.
Maternity insurance coverage had lengthy been an afterthought for many shoppers. Earlier, such cowl in medical health insurance got here with ready intervals of as much as 2–4 years making it impractical for {couples} planning a household. Our information exhibits out of {couples} searching for such a canopy, a majority would already expect a toddler with no scope for lengthy ready intervals. Recognising this hole, insurers are actually providing maternity plans with ready intervals as little as three months.
This means even anticipating {couples} can go for the quilt quickly as they discover out. These insurance policies embrace pre- and post-natal and new child care. The lower in wait intervals makes it viable for households to safe increasing households.
Imagine a system that begins with prenatal screenings and extends into personalised consultations with obstetricians, nutritionists and psychological well being professionals. Add to this prenatal yoga classes that construct power and endurance. Families additionally profit from curated trimester-wise content material and supportive group circles the place experiences and information are shared.
India’s MMR, although declining, continues to be above the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal goal of 70 per 1 lakh reside births. High-risk pregnancies are widespread, and the gaps in preventive and emotional care are large. Regional disparities in wealth, training, and healthcare entry additional compound the challenges. For many moms, medical appointments give solely partial assurance; what is usually lacking is steady steering, holistic wellness practices, and emotional reassurance. This is why maternity insurance coverage that mixes monetary safety with wellness assist is so highly effective. Insurance is not a transaction that waits for one thing to go improper. It turns into a associate that works to make sure extra goes proper.
Changing panorama
Urban existence, rising stress ranges, and delayed pregnancies are reshaping the maternity panorama in India. More ladies are coming into motherhood of their late 20s and 30s, a stage typically related to greater medical dangers. At the identical time, the prices of childbirth are steadily rising. The value of cesarean deliveries in personal hospitals can vary between ₹1.5-₹3 lakh in metros, not together with postnatal care and potential problems. For younger households, the bills can create each emotional and monetary pressure.
Wellness-driven maternity cowl cushions the monetary blow of medical payments whereas additionally decreasing the probability of problems through preventive care. This is especially vital in a rustic the place medical inflation hovers about 14% yearly, one of many highest in Asia. By embedding wellness into monetary safety, these merchandise align with the rising want of contemporary households to hunt holistic, long-term options reasonably than short-term fixes.
Healthier beginnings
India has made commendable progress, however with practically one in two pregnancies labeled as excessive danger and many ladies nonetheless strolling into motherhood feeling overwhelmed or unsupported, the work is way from executed. The alternative lies in embedding wellness into maternity insurance coverage so that each anticipating mom feels seen and cared for not simply clinically but additionally emotionally and spiritually.
When maternity cowl additionally turns into wellness insurance coverage it turns into a security web and a companion. It helps ladies not solely in managing problems however in nurturing power, resilience, and confidence.
(The author is head, medical health insurance, Policybazaar.com)
Published – September 29, 2025 06:04 am IST
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