India continues to witness significant improvement in key maternal, child health indicators: Report

New Delhi, May 10
India is witnessing a steady downward trend in maternal and child mortality towards the achievement of UN-mandated Sustainable Development Goals (SDG) 2030 targets, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said on Saturday.

Citing Registrar General of India’s (RGI) recently launched Sample Registration System (SRS) Report 2021, the Ministry stated that there has been a significant reduction in Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR), Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), Neonatal Mortality Rate (NMR) and Under-Five Mortality Rate (U5MR).

"India's progress in reduction of maternal and child mortality indicators outpaces global averages,” the Ministry said.

"These sustained improvements are a result of strategic interventions and the unwavering commitment of the government," it added.

While the MMR declined by 37 points from 130 per lakh live births in 2014-16 to 93 in 2019-21, the IMR declined from 39 per 1000 live births in 2014 to 27 per 1000 live births in 2021.

NMR declined from 26 per 1000 live births in 2014 to 19 per 1000 live births in 2021, and U5MR declined from 45 per 1000 live births in 2014 to 31 per 1000 live births in 2021.

Notably, the sex ratio at birth saw an improvement from 899 in 2014 to 913 in 2021. Total Fertility Rate is consistent at 2.0 in 2021, which is a significant improvement from 2.3 in 2014, according to the SRS report.

Further, it showed that eight states have already attained the SDG target of MMR: Kerala (20), Maharashtra (38), Telangana (45), Andhra Pradesh (46), Tamil Nadu (49), Jharkhand (51), Gujarat (53), Karnataka (63).

Twelve states/UT have already attained SDG target of U5MR: Kerala (8), Delhi (14), Tamil Nadu (14), Jammu and Kashmir (16), Maharashtra (16), West Bengal (20), Karnataka (21), Punjab (22), Telangana (22), Himachal Pradesh (23), Andhra Pradesh (24) and Gujarat (24).

Six states/ UT have already attained the SDG target of NMR: Kerala (4), Delhi (8), Tamil Nadu (9), Maharashtra (11), Jammu and Kashmir (12) and Himachal Pradesh (12).

The ministry attributed the improvements to "the flagship health schemes which have seamlessly integrated to guarantee dignified, respectful, and high-quality healthcare services -- completely free of cost, with zero tolerance for denial of care".

The Ministry said it is also reinforcing health data systems and real-time surveillance for maternal, newborn, and child health through digital platforms, thereby facilitating data-driven, evidence-based policy decisions.