Kathmandu, March 10 -- Only two women died during childbirth at the Thapathali-based Paropakar Maternity and Women's Hospital in the last fiscal year, which is a 50 percent decline compared to the fiscal year 2023-24, when four maternal deaths were recorded.

"The number of maternal deaths in our hospital has declined by 50 percent in the last fiscal year," said Dr Shree Prasad Adhikari, the hospital's director. "But maternity was not the direct cause of death in these cases. Cardiac problems and other issues were responsible."

In the fiscal year 2023-24, the hospital had reported four maternal deaths. Doctors attributed the decline to a decrease in severe referral cases from remote districts, which they said was likely due to improved h...