BHUBANESWAR: Education holds the key to reduction of infant and maternal mortality in the State, said Health Minister Atanu Sabyasachi Nayak.
Emphasising on the issue, he said the more aware and educated the citizenry is, the better the issue of newborn and maternal care is addressed at the community level. Higher literacy rate in States like Kerala is the prime cause of low infant mortality rate (IMR) and maternal mortality rate (MMR), he stated.
Attending a political conclave on ‘No child born to die’, organised by Save The Children to mark beginning of ‘The newborn week’, Nayak said despite taking great strides in tackling child mortality, IMR in Odisha is still second highest in the country. The IMR in Odisha was 53 per 1,000 live births against national average of 42.
Majority of the infant deaths take place in the first month as 39 neonates in 1,000 live births die within 28 days of birth. Maternal mortality rate in the State is a matter of greater concern as it stands at a high of 237 per 1,00,000 live births compared to national figure of 178.
“In order to effectively address these issues, apart from political will, collaboration of all departments, sectors and stakeholders is required. There is much to be done to reduce IMR, neonatal mortality rate and MMR in the State,” he observed.
The Government has planned to open more special newborn care units across the State. It is also preparing to implement the Central Government programme wherein mobile medical teams, comprising doctors and paramedics, will visit every school at regular intervals for health check-ups and treatment.
With less than 500 days left to meet the millennium development goals (MDG) deadline, this emergency must be addressed urgently with great focus and attention, said Deputy Director of Save the Children Manabendra Nath Ray. Senior BJD leader Amar Prasad Tripathy and BJP leader Pratap Sarangi attended the conclave, among others.