Rajasthan, India — Hira Devi married early last year and was expecting her first child a short while later. A 19-year-old living in a rural village tucked away in the mountains of India’s Aravali Range, Hira was focused on farming, family and her household chores.
One thing she wasn’t focused on? Antenatal care.
“There is so much to be done during the day! Where is the time to rest?” Hira said. Or to make the winding, mountainous — and in the rainy season, often treacherous — journey 10 kilometers to the nearest health facility.
She’s not alone. Across her region, just 9.7% of pregnant women receive four or more antenatal care (ANC) appointments, the minimum recommended by global health experts
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