Report: India has highest newborn mortality rate

“If people understood how affordable and feasible it is to prevent children dying,they’d be shocked. There is no real pressure on the government to act largely because of public perceptions that it is too costly to change the reality. But the public is right on this point: we can prevent children dying needlessly. And our campaign is urging everyone to say change is possible so that there can be no excuse for the government not to act,” said Thomas Chandy,CEO,Save the Children.

Despite rapid economic growth,India’s record on child mortality,at 72 per 1000 live births,is worse than that of neighbouring countries such as Bangladesh. In 2000,India vowed to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDG) of reducing under-five mortality rate by two-thirds by 2015. While the report suggests that India will not meet this goal until 2020,the Health Ministry maintained that it was not impossible.

“Clearly a lot needs to be done. We have to use the existing resources and focus on specific states. Six years is a good enough time frame to achieve the target. We have invested a lot in NRHM and we need to give it some time to start showing results. India has the ability and resources to achieve the goal,” said Dr Sujata Rao,Union Health Secretary.

Women and Child Development Minister Krishna Tirath said: “We need to invest in low cost interventions and work closely with the Health Ministry to ensure our neo-natal mortality is reduced.”