DEHRADUN: Uttarakhand has achieved remarkable success in drastically reducing its Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) since the state's formation, marking significant progress in public health infrastructure and maternal care over the past 25 years.
While challenges persist, particularly in remote hill regions, official data reveals a major drop in the IMR, reflecting effective policy implementation by successive state governments focused on strengthening health services.
According to data released by the Health Department, the IMR has fallen from 52 per thousand live births at the time of the state’s formation to just 20 per thousand presently, a reduction of over 60 percent. The Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR) has also improved significantly, declining from 440 per lakh live births to 91 per lakh currently.
Health Secretary Dr R Rajesh Kumar emphasised the government’s commitment to further improvements while speaking to the TNIE.
“The government’s target is to bring the Infant Mortality Rate down to 12 and the Maternal Mortality Rate to 70 per lakh live births,” he said.
A key factor in this success has been the expansion of the healthcare network and the promotion of institutional deliveries. The National Health Mission (NHM), launched in the state on October 27, 2005, has played a crucial role in extending quality care to vulnerable populations in rural and remote areas.
“Since the inception of the state, we have worked extensively on improving infrastructure, promoting institutional deliveries, and expanding the reach of primary healthcare,” Dr Kumar added.
The state now has a robust network comprising 13 district hospitals, 21 sub-district hospitals, 80 community health centres (CHCs), 577 primary health centres (PHCs), and nearly 2,000 Mother and Child Welfare Centres.
Further highlighting the shift towards safer childbirth practices, institutional deliveries accounted for approximately 85 percent of all births during the last fiscal year (2024–25), totalling 147,717 procedures.
Despite ongoing challenges regarding healthcare accessibility in certain high-altitude areas, the statistics show that Uttarakhand has made major progress in public health over the past 25 years, particularly in saving the lives of mothers and infants.