Jaipur, July 2 -- Rajasthan is one of the top five states wherein maximum pregnant women opted government hospitals for their delivery, according to Sample Registration System (SRS) statistical report 2021. The report, published on June 7, stated that Jammu and Kashmir topped the chart by facilitating 89.4% mothers in the government set up during delivery followed by 83.9% in Madhya Pradesh, 81.8% in Assam, 80.8% in Rajasthan, and 77.3% in Odisha. The study was conducted from 2020-2021. "Of the total mothers in Rajasthan, about 14.5% opted for the private hospital while 4.7% failed to get access to any institution during delivery. The tendency to opt for a private hospital is slightly more in the urban areas as 16.4% mothers from the cities and towns visited the private hospital while 14.% in the rural areas could get there," the report stated However, the report also showed that at least 3.3% mothers received treatment from any qualified professional despite not being in any hospital while 1% were treated by untrained functionaries and 0.2% received no medical assistance during their delivery. Compared to 2020, the figure also showed a steady growth of more mothers preferring the government hospitals over the private set ups during delivery indicating a sustainable improvement of these government facilities. According to the 2020 SRS report, 70.9% mothers were treated in government hospitals during delivery as opposed to the 17.8% in the private hospital, 9.6% by any qualified medical professional at home, and 1.7% by quacks. But, in 2021, the number of mothers from the urban areas was more than the rural areas visiting the government hospitals. "While 72.7% mothers in urban areas went to the government hospitals for delivery, the figure was 2% down in the rural areas," the report stated. In 2021, though, the overall proportion of mothers from both rural and urban areas who preferred government facilities rose, the report showed that 80.4% mothers in urban areas went to the government hospitals which is about 0.5% down from the figure in the rural areas. Meanwhile, the government hospitals have also come under a question with a high rate of the newborns dying in the state within a month of their births as most of them evidently born in the government set ups. The latest SRS report in 2021, also showed that Rajasthan is also among the top six states in India after Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, and Assam to report the maximum neonatal deaths in the country. Madhya Pradesh reported a 30% neonatal mortality rate in 2021 followed by 28% in Chhattisgarh, 26% in Uttar Pradesh, 25% in Odisha, 23% in Assam, and 20% in Rajasthan. The corresponding figure was 31% in MP in 2020, 26% in Chhattisgarh, 28% in Uttar Pradesh and Odisha, 19% in Assam, and 23% in Rajasthan. An official from the Health Department's maternal health unit said, "A lot of facilities such as the cleanliness system, delivery-related equipment etc have been advanced in the government hospitals across the state while more vigilance and staff have also been ensured. Such developments are reflected in the constant rise of mothers visiting the hospitals. The state has also improved on the neonatal mortality in the last few years- particularly if you check the recent reports of the state. Even the SRS report also showed that it reduced in Rajasthan while an increase was noticed in most of the states. We are working for more improvement on these figures."...