BHUBANESWAR: The sustained efforts by the State government to bring down infant deaths seem to have worked as Odisha has reported the highest point decline in infant mortality rate (IMR) in the country. As per the Sample Registration Survey (SRS)-2020 released on Wednesday, the IMR has dropped to 36 (per 1000 live births) from 40 in 2018. With a 39 point decline between 2005 and 2020, the reduction has been the highest among all states.
The IMR was 93 per 1,000 live births in 2001, 71 in 2007, 65 in 2009 and then fell gradually. Notwithstanding the consistent decline in the IMR, the State is ranked fourth after Madhya Pradesh (43), Uttar Pradesh (38) and Chhattisgarh (38).The IMR stood at 28 in urban Odisha and 37 in rural parts of the State. The IMR was 35 among the male children and 36 among female children. While the rate was 36 and 37 among male and female respectively in rural areas, it was 29 and 26 in urban areas.
The rate of decline has been attributed to the Sishu Abong Matru Mrityuhara Purna Narakaran Abhiyan (SAMPurNA) Yojana, operationalistion of SCNUs (special care newborn units), first referral units, kangaroo mother care (KMC) units, LaQshya programme under which labour room and OT are being standardised for providing quality care services to delivery cases and new born babies. Along with child-specific schemes, increased coverage of the complementary feeding programmes to treat the cases of anaemia and malnutrition, intensified diarrhoea control campaign and childhood pneumonia management programme have also helped in a good measure.
Additional Chief Secretary of Health department RK Sharma said the significant reduction has been made possible by the efforts of multiple departments - Health, W&CD Development and Mission Shakti working with lakhs of their functionaries in a sustained and coordinated manner over more than 15 years.
“There has been perfect coordination between the ASHA, Anganawadi workers and women SHGs at the ground-level. This is yet another example of the transformational initiatives being successfully implemented,” he added.
Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik congratulated the team for the success. With effective implementation of quality healthcare services and focus on safe institutional delivery of women, Odisha has registered the highest point decline in IMR in the country, he said.
Despite the significant reduction, the IMR in the State is above the national average of 28. Health authorities claimed this was due to marginal decline during the 2000 to 2008 period, when the rate dropped only by two to four points per annum. Even at the current improved rate of decline, the State would have to wait for three more years to reach the millennium development goal (MDG) of below 30.