India Unveils SUMAN Roadmap 2030 to Improve Maternal Care

To accelerate progress where maternal and newborn mortality remains highest, the roadmap introduces time-bound interventions across 130 districts in 13 high-focus states.

The Government of India has launched the SUMAN Roadmap 2030, a comprehensive national strategy designed to strengthen maternal and newborn healthcare while accelerating progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) by 2030. Union Health and Family Welfare Minister Jagat Prakash Nadda unveiled the roadmap during the 16th Conference of the Central Council of Health and Family Welfare (CCHFW) at Vigyan Bhawan in New Delhi.

The roadmap builds on the country's progress in reducing maternal and newborn deaths over the past decade while introducing targeted interventions for regions that continue to face higher health risks. It combines scientific evidence, digital innovation, stronger healthcare systems and community participation to ensure that quality maternal and newborn services reach every part of the country.

Targeted Strategy for Mothers and Newborns

Although India has recorded significant improvements in maternal and newborn health, challenges remain in several high-focus states. The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has therefore developed the SUMAN Roadmap 2030 as an evidence-based strategy that addresses local healthcare needs while supporting national priorities.

The roadmap follows the RMNCHA+N framework, which covers reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, adolescent health and nutrition through a life-cycle approach. It integrates services from pre-pregnancy and antenatal care to childbirth, postnatal care, child health, family planning and nutrition, creating a continuous and person-centred healthcare system.

One of the roadmap's key features is a structured system for identifying and managing high-risk pregnancies at four critical stages—antenatal care, third-trimester care, childbirth and the postnatal period. This approach is expected to improve early detection of complications, enable timely medical intervention and reduce preventable maternal and newborn deaths.

The strategy also addresses healthcare access in tribal and remote regions, emergency obstetric care, transportation challenges, community participation through SUMAN Panchayats, and the growing impact of climate change on maternal and newborn health.

Focused Support for High-Burden Districts

To accelerate progress where maternal and newborn mortality remains highest, the roadmap introduces time-bound interventions across 130 districts in 13 high-focus states. These include Assam, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Karnataka, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, Punjab, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand and West Bengal.

Among the major initiatives is the SUMAN Package for Pregnant Women, which encourages early pregnancy registration, regular antenatal check-ups, quality clinical care and adequate post-delivery hospital stays. Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) will conduct bi-weekly home visits during the eighth and ninth months of pregnancy to identify warning signs, provide nutrition counselling, promote birth preparedness and encourage institutional deliveries.

The roadmap also proposes financial assistance for designated caregivers during the postnatal period, special incentives for referral transport during obstetric emergencies and the strengthening of healthcare infrastructure through Birth Waiting Homes, Maternal and Child Health Wings, Obstetric High Dependency Units and Intensive Care Units in underserved areas.

For all States and Union Territories, the strategy recommends expanding pre-pregnancy care, strengthening nutrition programmes to address maternal anaemia and undernutrition, promoting community ownership through SUMAN Panchayats and Mothers' Picnic initiatives, improving Maternal Death Surveillance and Response systems, expanding the use of Non-Pneumatic Anti-Shock Garments (NASG) for obstetric haemorrhage and introducing AI-enabled labour rooms alongside digital monitoring through the JANANI Portal.

Digital Innovation to Strengthen Healthcare

A strong digital foundation forms an important part of the SUMAN Roadmap 2030. The government plans to establish a centralised SUMAN Call Centre for grievance redressal while strengthening referral linkages between healthcare facilities through improved digital systems.

The JANANI Portal will play a central role in monitoring maternal and newborn healthcare, enabling better tracking of pregnancies, clinical interventions and health outcomes. The roadmap also integrates the Samagra Shishu Bal Swasthya Karyakram (SSBSK) to provide seamless home-based healthcare for children from birth to 36 months.

To strengthen long-term implementation, the roadmap proposes establishing Centres of Excellence dedicated to maternal and newborn healthcare while promoting stronger coordination between healthcare institutions and community-based services.

The Government has set ambitious targets under the roadmap, including reducing the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) to below 70 deaths per 100,000 live births by 2030, lowering the Neonatal Mortality Rate (NMR) and Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), achieving universal access to quality maternal and newborn healthcare services and ultimately eliminating preventable maternal and newborn deaths.

With the launch of the SUMAN Roadmap 2030, India is reinforcing its commitment to safe motherhood, healthier newborns and stronger public health systems through a combination of targeted interventions, technology-driven monitoring and active community participation.