Guwahati: The share of maternal deaths attributed to sepsis in Assam fell by 13 percentage points, from 21 per cent in July to 8 per cent in October, health and family welfare minister Ashok Singhal said on Friday.He said the centre has invited the state to share its infection-control model with states reporting a high incidence of maternal deaths due to sepsis.“This significant improvement reflects the state’s sustained efforts to strengthen infection prevention and control practices across public health facilities,” Singhal said.Maternal sepsis is a life-threatening condition caused by organ dysfunction resulting from infection during pregnancy, childbirth, post-abortion or the postpartum period.The state has introduced standard operating procedures (SOPs) for infection prevention and control, and an Infection Prevention and Control Mechanism (IPCM) portal. Singhal launched both at Dibrugarh in September, during the State Convention on Maternal Mortality Reduction, Infant Mortality Reduction and Infection Control.The SOPs set standard guidelines for labour rooms, maternity operation theatres, postnatal wards, Special Newborn Care Units and Newborn Stabilisation Units.The portal allows real-time monitoring of infection-control practices in public health facilities. It tracks daily cleaning of labour rooms and maternity operation theatres through photographs, autoclave quality control with geo-tagged photographs, regular microbial surveillance, the work of Hospital Infection Control Committees and facility-wise compliance. “The digital platform will also help identify gaps in infection-control practices and facilitate timely corrective measures,” Singhal said.He commended doctors, nurses, frontline health workers and the National Health Mission team, and reaffirmed the government’s commitment to strengthening prevention, timely detection and effective treatment of infections.
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