Jammu: In a significant milestone, J&K has achieved a remarkable improvement in multiple indicators related to maternal and child health in recent years.
An official spokesman in a statement issued here said that in a single year, the Under-Five Mortality Rate (U5MR) in J&K has decreased from 21 to 17 points per 1000 live births, the Neonatal Mortality rate from 15 to 12, Early Neo-Natal Mortality Rate from 10 to eight and Sex Ratio at birth increased from 918 to 921 as per the Sample Registration System (SRS) Statistical Report 2020 released on September 22, 2022, by the Registrar General of India (RGI).
J&K has already achieved the global target of reducing the under-five mortality rate to less than 25 per 1000 live births much ahead of the global target.
J&K has shown an incremental performance in Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) of good health and well-being of people.
The entire Health and Medical Education Department with active support from National Health Mission (NHM) put strenuous efforts to provide essential newborn care at public health institutions across J&K through facility-based and home-based newborn care interventions.
The progress in scaling up the interventions to save the lives of the newborn has substantially accelerated in recent times leading to significant improvement in various health indicators.
One of the comprehensive measures in this regard includes an action plan devised by the Health and Medical Education Department with the support of the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and NIPI in the form of a roadmap for reducing IMR in J&K to a single-digit.
The action plan is being implemented at all levels and focuses on community-based and facility-based interventions for accelerating the rate of decline in infant mortality through the strengthening of maternal and child health programmes. Moreover, adequate infrastructure is being built under the emergency COVID response package which in the long run would help further improve various health indicators across J&K.
Secretary, Health and Medical Education Department, Bhupinder Kumar appreciated the efforts of the National Health Mission, J&K, Government Medical Colleges, Directorate of Health Services, Family Welfare, AYUSH, and all field functionaries including doctors, paramedical staff, ASHA workers, and programme management unit staff for their continued efforts to improve maternal and newborn care in J&K which has resulted in a landmark achievement in further reduction of child mortality rates.
He stressed sustained efforts in the future for better quality healthcare service delivery to further improve the maternal and child health indicators in the coming years.