evidence: New Delhi: More than 550,000 women were found to be going through high-risk pregnancies during screening between June 2016 to December 2017 under a government scheme for protection of pregnant women. The Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA), launched in 2016, aims to ensure comprehensive and quality antenatal checkups for pregnant women across India. "Women identified as high-risk pregnancy were referred to a specialist or a higher health facility for appropriate care. Identifying high-risk pregnancies is the first step towards saving mothers and infants from preventable deaths," said J.P. Nadda, Union minister of health and family welfare, in New Delhi on Friday.