High IMR in the Country

At present, Infant Mortality Rate is 44 per 1000 live births in the country as per Sample Registration System 2011 report of Registrar General of India.

The Millennium Development Goal 4 is to   reduce child mortality by two third.

At present India’s IMR stands at 44 per 1000 live births (SRS 2011) against MDG trarget of 28 per 1000 live births. However, 14 States/UTs namely Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Goa, Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Chandigarh, Daman & Diu, Delhi, Lakshadweep, Puducherry, Manipur, Maharashtra, Nagaland, Sikkim and Tripura have already achieved MDG 4 of IMR.

(d): The following interventions under Reproductive and child health programme of NRHM are being implemented to meet the MDGs on time:

1)      Prevention and treatment of Anaemia by supplementation with Iron and Folic Acid tablets during pregnancy and lactation.

2)      Name Based Tracking of Pregnant Women to ensure complete antenatal, intranatal and postnatal care

3)      Operationalizing Community Health Centers as First Referral Units (FRUs) and Primary Health Centers(24X7) for round the clock maternal care services. )

4)      Promotion of Institutional Delivery through JananiSurakshaYojana (JSY) andJananiShishuSurakshaKaryakram (JSSK): Promoting Institutional delivery to ensure skilled birth attendance for reducing both maternal and neo-natal mortality.

5)      Strengthening Facility based newborn care: Newborn care corners (NBCC) are being set up at all delivery points. Special Newborn Care Units (SNCUs) and Newborn Stabilization Units (NBSUs) are also being set up at district hospitals and CHCs respectively for the care of sick newborn including preterm babies.

6)      Home Based Newborn Care (HBNC):  Home based newborn care through ASHAs has been initiated to improve new born practices at the community level and early detection and referral of sick newborn babies

7)      Capacity building of health care providers: Various trainings are being conducted under National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) to build and upgrade the skills of health care providers in basic and comprehensive obstetric care of mother during pregnancy, delivery and essential newborn care.

8)      Adolescent Reproductive Sexual Health Programme (ARSH) – for adolescents to have better access to family planning, prevention of sexually transmitted Infections, counselling and peer education. 

9)      A new initiative RashtriyaBalSwasthyaKaryakram (RBSK) has been launched on 6^th February, 2013 for Child health screening and early intervention services to provide comprehensive care to all the children in the community. The purpose of these services is to improve the overall quality of life of children through early detection of birth defects, diseases, deficiencies, development delays including disability.