How India Reduced Child Mortality Rate: In the last decade, India has achieved such achievements in the field of child health, which are now being discussed all over the world. According to the recently released UN Inter-Agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation 2025 report, there has been a 41 percent decline in the mortality rate of children under five years of age in India between 2014 and 2024. At the same time, the newborn mortality rate has declined by 37 percent. The special thing is that this achievement is much better than the global average, where in the same period there was a decrease of 18 percent in child mortality rate and 15 percent decrease in neonatal mortality rate.

What is the reason behind this success?

Experts believe that this success is not the result of any one scheme, but of continuously strengthened health services for mothers and children. India has given priority to health care from pregnancy to the early years of the child in the last few years. According to the recently released NFHS-6 (2023-24) report, 76.2 percent women received antenatal care in the first trimester of pregnancy itself. At the same time, the number of institutional deliveries has increased to 90.6 percent, which was earlier 88.6 percent. Similarly, deliveries under the supervision of trained health workers have also increased from 89.4 percent to 91.3 percent.

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Considerable improvement in care noted?

The time immediately after birth is considered the most sensitive for children. Keeping this in mind, India has expanded health facilities on a large scale for the care of newborn babies. More than 1,100 special newborn care units and neonatal intensive care units have been established across the country. Along with them, 2,868 Newborn Stabilization Units are also working, which provide specialized care to more than 15 lakh sick and weak newborns every year.

Vaccination also plays a role

Vaccination has also been a major reason for the improvement in the health of children. According to NFHS-6, full vaccination coverage among children aged 12 to 23 months has increased from 76.6 percent to 82.6 percent. A tremendous jump has been seen in rotavirus vaccine coverage, which increased from 36.4 percent to 85.4 percent. India has also made significant progress in the field of nutrition. The problem of stunting i.e. low height for age in children under five years of age has reduced from 35.5 percent to 29.3 percent. At the same time, the rate of severe malnutrition has also decreased from 7.7 percent to 5.5 percent.

Lives of millions of children can be saved

Former Member (Health and Nutrition), NITI Aayog Dr. Vinod K. Paul believes that this achievement of India is not just a national success, but has become an example for the developing countries of the world. He says that strong health system, role of frontline health workers and better use of technology have given great success to India in reducing child mortality rate. This achievement of India shows that with the right policies and sustained efforts, the lives of millions of children can be saved and better health can be given to future generations.

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Disclaimer: This information is based on research studies and expert opinion. Do not consider this as a substitute for medical advice. Before adopting any new activity or exercise, please consult your doctor or relevant specialist.

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States With Highest Infant Mortality Rate In India: There has been a significant decline in the infant fertility rate in India during the last decade. According to the Sample Registration System 2024 report, the infant mortality rate in the country has come down to 24 per 1,000 live births. In the year 2019 this figure was 30. This improvement is believed to be the result of expansion of maternal and child health services and increase in institutional deliveries. Although the picture looks better at the national level, there is still a huge gap between the states.

One in 42 children do not see their first birthday

The report shows that in India, one out of every 42 babies still does not see his first birthday. The situation is more challenging in rural areas, where one in every 37 infants dies before the age of one year. This ratio is better in urban areas and there one death out of every 59 infants was recorded. Experts believe that the increase in institutional deliveries has played an important role in reducing infant mortality. While in the year 2019, less than 83 percent of deliveries were taking place in hospitals or health centers, by 2024 this figure will reach more than 95 percent. Despite this, the report also indicates that the problem is not solved by hospital delivery alone, but care of the newborn after birth is equally important.

In which states the situation is worst

Talking about states, Chhattisgarh appears to be in the most worrying situation. The infant mortality rate here was recorded at 36 per 1,000 live births, which is the highest in the country. After this, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh came next, where this figure was 35. Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh remained at the top in terms of neonatal mortality rate, while Uttar Pradesh also remains in a worrying situation.

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In which states the situation is better

On the contrary, Goa and Sikkim have emerged as the best performing states of the country. The infant mortality rate in both states was only 7 per 1,000 live births. Kerala stood third with 8. In Tamil Nadu and Delhi this figure was 11, while in Tripura it was 12. Maharashtra performed better than the national average by recording a rate of 14, Karnataka 15, Punjab 16, Telangana 17 and Andhra Pradesh 18.

What is still the biggest challenge?

However, the biggest challenge is still the death of newborn babies. According to the report, about 73 percent of the total infant deaths expected in 2024 will occur within the first 28 days of birth. Experts believe that to further reduce infant mortality rate in the coming years, more attention will have to be paid to better care during pregnancy, maternal nutrition, safe delivery and quality medical services of the newborn after birth. India has come a long way in this direction, but there is still a lot of scope for improvement in many states.

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Disclaimer: This information is based on research studies and expert opinion. Do not consider this as a substitute for medical advice. Before adopting any new activity or exercise, please consult your doctor or relevant specialist.

Check out below Health Tools-
Calculate Your Body Mass Index (BMI)

Calculate The Age Through Age Calculator