Child Mortality

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    In Context

    • India has achieved significant landmarks in the reduction of Child Mortality as per the Sample Registration System Statistical Report 2020.

    Report highlights

    • Since 2014, the country has been witnessing a progressive reduction in 
      • Infant Mortality Rate, 
      • Neonatal Mortality Rate, and 
      • Under-five Mortality Rate 
      • Infant Mortality Rate 
        • Infant Mortality Rate has registered a two-point decline to 28 per one thousand live births in 2020 from 30 per one thousand live births in 2019.
      • Under five Mortality Rate:
        • Under five Mortality Rate for the country has also shown a significant decline of three points from 32 in 2020 to 35 per one thousand live births in 2019. 
      • The neonatal Mortality Rate:
        • The neonatal Mortality Rate has also declined by two points from 22 in 2019 to 20 per one thousand live births in 2020.

    About Child mortality

    • Child mortality is the mortality of children under the age of five. 
    • The child mortality rate, also under-five mortality rate, refers to the probability of dying between birth and exactly five years of age expressed per 1,000 live births.
      • It encompasses neonatal mortality and infant mortality (the probability of death in the first year of life).
    • Reduction of child mortality is reflected in several of the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. 
      • Target 3.2 is “by 2030, end preventable deaths of newborns and children under 5 years of age”.
    • Child mortality rates have decreased in the last 40 years worldwide.
      • Rapid progress in medical sciences has resulted in a significant decline.

    Government initiatives for reduction of mortalities:

    • India has taken up a number of innovative initiatives to reduce the mortalities due to malnutrition. 
      • Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre (NRC):
        • At the Nutrition Rehabilitation Centre (NRC) children with Severe Acute Malnutrition (SAM) are admitted. 
      • ICDS:
        • The Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme is one of the flagship programs of the Government of India. 
        • The beneficiaries under the Scheme are children in the age group of 0-6 years, pregnant women and lactating mothers.
        • Ministry of Women and Child Development is the implementing agency
      • Poshan Abhiyan:
        • It is intended to reduce stunting in identified districts of the country with the highest malnutrition burden by improving utilization of key Anganwadi Services and improving the quality of Anganwadi services delivery. 
      • Better feeding practices:
        • Under infant and young child feeding practices, guidelines are there to improve cognitive development, enhance weight gain and prevent malnutrition among children. 
      • Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC): 
        • KMCs have been found to be very effective for stable newborns in providing adequate thermal care, reducing nosocomial infections, improving exclusive breastfeeding and weight gain, besides fostering greater maternal and family involvement in care.
    • Protecting mothers: 
      • Research suggests that the process of a baby’s brain development begins during pregnancy and is influenced by a pregnant woman’s health, nutrition and environment.
      • Hence, we need to understand that child survival cannot be addressed in isolation as it is intricately linked to the health of the mother. 
        • ‘Paalan 1000 – Journey of the First 1000 Days’, focuses more on the cognitive developments of children in the first 2 years of its life. 
          • On the other hand, PAALAN 1000 parenting app provides caregivers with practical advice on what they can do in their everyday routine and helps resolve the various doubts of parents and directs our efforts in the development of a child. 
        • Matritva Sahyog Yojana
          • It is a Conditional Maternity Benefit (CMB) Scheme launched in 2010.
          • The scheme is being implemented by the Ministry of Women and Child Development as the centrally sponsored scheme.
          • It was launched for pregnant and lactating women to improve their health and nutrition status to better-enable the environment by providing cash incentives to pregnant and nursing mothers.
        • National Nutrition Mission:
          • It is the government’s flagship programme to improve nutritional outcomes for children, pregnant women and lactating mothers.
          • Aim: To reduce stunting and wasting by 2 percent per year (total 6 per cent until 2022) among children and anaemia by 3 percent per year (total 9 per cent until 2022) among children, adolescent girls and pregnant women and lactating mothers.
          • The Ministry of Women and Child Development is the nodal ministry for implementation.

    Way Ahead

    • With these measures in place, we can expect some more concrete and positive health related changes in the days to come.
    • India is poised to meet 2030 Sustainable Development Goals targets of child mortality with focused interventions, strong Centre-State partnership, and dedication of all health workers.

    Source: AIR

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