Karnataka's Maternal Health Drive Hit by Specialist Vacancies

Karnataka's efforts to reduce maternal deaths are hampered by severe shortages of OBG specialists, anaesthesiologists, and paediatricians in government hospitals. Vacancies stand at 32%, 47.6%, and 41% respectively. The state's maternal mortality ratio is 73 per 100,000 live births, the highest in South India. Authorities have approved recruiting 350 more specialists to address the crisis.