IIT Madras Study Finds Tamil Nadu’s Emergency Healthcare System Emerged Stronger Post-COVID
Chennai, May 21 (TNT): A study conducted by researchers from Indian Institute of Technology (IIT) Madras has found that Tamil Nadu’s emergency healthcare system emerged significantly stronger in the post-COVID period, leading to notable improvements in maternal and newborn health outcomes.
The study analysed eight years of ambulance registry data from Tamil Nadu’s 108 emergency response system between 2017 and 2024, covering 42 districts and a population of over 84 million.
Researchers examined the functioning of the healthcare system across multiple phases of the pandemic and during the resilient recovery phase of 2023–2024.
According to the study, sustained investments in emergency medical services (EMS), expansion of ambulance fleets, stronger referral systems and targeted maternal healthcare schemes helped the State overcome the severe disruptions caused during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The research was led by Prof. P. Kandaswamy, retired IPS officer and Professor of Practice in the Departments of Management Studies and Data Science & AI at IIT Madras, along with Mr. Ashwin Prakash of Moody’s Analytics Pvt Ltd, Bengaluru.
The findings were published in the peer-reviewed journal *BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth*.
Prof. Kandaswamy said that Tamil Nadu witnessed severe disruptions in maternal healthcare access during the second wave of the pandemic, with home deliveries increasing sharply and maternal mortality rising by nearly 98.5 per cent compared to pre-pandemic levels.
However, the study found that the healthcare system not only recovered but eventually performed better than before the pandemic.
The analysis showed that key EMS performance indicators, including ambulance response time, patient transfer duration and hospital handoff time, improved significantly after the first wave and remained efficient through 2023–2024.
Co-author Ashwin Prakash said maternal mortality declined by 19 per cent to 37 deaths per 100,000 live births, substantially lower than the national average.
The study also recorded a reduction of over 36 per cent in home deliveries, 28 per cent decline in miscarriages and over 19 per cent decrease in complicated vaginal births.
The report further noted that neonatal mortality and infant mortality rates reduced by 17 per cent and 19 per cent respectively during the post-pandemic phase.
Researchers concluded that continued government investment in EMS infrastructure, healthcare workforce expansion and maternal healthcare programmes played a key role in improving outcomes beyond pre-pandemic levels.
The study highlighted Tamil Nadu’s integrated healthcare delivery model, including risk-stratified antenatal care and the 108 ambulance network, as a potential blueprint for other Indian states with weaker emergency response systems and higher maternal mortality rates.
However, the researchers clarified that while the study establishes strong associations between improved EMS systems and better health outcomes, it does not directly establish causation and further long-term analysis would be required.
TNT KS
