Aug 19 2014 : The Times of India (Delhi)
8 states report 71% of total infant deaths
Subodh.Varma@timesgroup.com
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Have you ever wondered why infant mortality rate (IMR) and maternal mortality rate (MMR) are going down so slowly in India?
Part of the answer can be found in a recent survey report put out by the Census office. The eight most-poor states surveyed are home to half the country's population.And, it is in these states that 71% of infant deaths, 72% of deaths of children under-five years, and 62% of maternal deaths take place.The key reasons for MMR include not getting proper treatment and child-birth related complications. More than three quarters of pregnant women in these states don't undergo full ante-natal checkup (ANC). They are sup posed to get at least one checkup every three months (three in all), one tetanus injection and iron supplement for at least 100 days. In UP, Bihar and Rajasthan over 90% the women don't get full ANC.
A very large proportion of mothers don't get examined within 48 hours of delivery . In Odisha, this proportion is low at 17% but in Bihar it has touched 40% mark. On both these counts, there has been some improvement in all states since 2011 when a baseline survey was done. But, at this rate it will take years to bring it to acceptable levels.
The reason for children's vulnerability to diseases and death is revealed by two key statistics. From one third to nearly half the infants aged 12 to 23 months don't get fully immunized. In UP 47% infants re main unvaccinated, in Assam 36%. This is despite a huge immunization programme conducted by the government.Full immunization includes TB, DPT, polio and measles.
Iron supplementation is a necessity because nearly half the new borns in our country suffer from anemia, as do their mothers. Again, three quarters or more children reported not receiving IFA tablets in the last six months, except Bihar where 66% did not get them.The numbers are staggering: in four states over 80% children were not getting the life giving supplement.
The states covered in the survey are: UP , Bihar, Rajasthan, MP , Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Uttarakhand and Assam.
For the full report, log on to http://www.timesofindia.com
Part of the answer can be found in a recent survey report put out by the Census office. The eight most-poor states surveyed are home to half the country's population.And, it is in these states that 71% of infant deaths, 72% of deaths of children under-five years, and 62% of maternal deaths take place.The key reasons for MMR include not getting proper treatment and child-birth related complications. More than three quarters of pregnant women in these states don't undergo full ante-natal checkup (ANC). They are sup posed to get at least one checkup every three months (three in all), one tetanus injection and iron supplement for at least 100 days. In UP, Bihar and Rajasthan over 90% the women don't get full ANC.
A very large proportion of mothers don't get examined within 48 hours of delivery . In Odisha, this proportion is low at 17% but in Bihar it has touched 40% mark. On both these counts, there has been some improvement in all states since 2011 when a baseline survey was done. But, at this rate it will take years to bring it to acceptable levels.
The reason for children's vulnerability to diseases and death is revealed by two key statistics. From one third to nearly half the infants aged 12 to 23 months don't get fully immunized. In UP 47% infants re main unvaccinated, in Assam 36%. This is despite a huge immunization programme conducted by the government.Full immunization includes TB, DPT, polio and measles.
Iron supplementation is a necessity because nearly half the new borns in our country suffer from anemia, as do their mothers. Again, three quarters or more children reported not receiving IFA tablets in the last six months, except Bihar where 66% did not get them.The numbers are staggering: in four states over 80% children were not getting the life giving supplement.
The states covered in the survey are: UP , Bihar, Rajasthan, MP , Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Odisha, Uttarakhand and Assam.
For the full report, log on to http://www.timesofindia.com
