Every Maternal death is preventable. More so, India was a part of the International community that agreed upon the Millennium Development Goals 15 years ago, whose one of the aims was to bring down the MMR to 109 for 1lakh live births by 2015. Initiatives in this direction have resulted in a decline in MMR from 277 to 230 (AHS-2102-13) in the state of Odisha, one of the states with highest death rates. The study was a part of systematic attempt to re-examine our causal framework and putting some missing pieces so as to achieve the targeted goal. 20 maternal deaths reported in the year 2013, from the poor performing districts of Khandamal, Koraput, Kalahandi and Sundergarh were assessed using the Community Based Maternal Death Review Tool (CBMDR). These data brought out the facts that poor risk perception resulting in the delays in health care delivery were the cause of maternal deaths in all the cases. It brings out strongly that timely referral services and improved delivery points at the remote areas can address the persisting problem of high maternal deaths in state of Odisha.
