Only 6 Indian States to Reduce Child Mortality by 2015
Bangalore: Only six Indian states can be expected to attain reduction in child mortality rate by 2015, as per a report. This is one of the parameters of the Millennium Development Goal (MDG). The MDGs are 8 international development goals, officially formed after the Millennium Summit of the UN in 2000. It was agreed by the 193 UN member states and over 23 international organizations to accomplish the goals by 2015. Out the eight MDGs the fourth goal is to reduce child mortality rate.
The six Indian states of Kerala, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Punjab, West Bengal and Himachal Pradesh show a positive trend in capping the mortality rate. Except these states, the rest of the country seems unlikely to attain MDG-4, the aim of which is to reduce the Under-Five Mortality Rate by two third from 1990 to 2015, by addressing some of the key concerns.
These were part of the observations made by the ‘The Infant and Child Mortality India Report’ prepared by the National Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS), Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR) and the UNICEF Country Office in India.
India has made impressive advances in child survival rates over the years; even then the current pace of the country as a whole is inadequate to attain the MDG 4. It needs to come up with a new approach to resolve the concern, which needs immediate attention.
