The infant mortality rate (IMR) is higher in the State compared to other South Indian states, according to S Selva Kumar, State mission director of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).

For every 10 lakh children born every year in the State, nearly 35,000 die even before completing one year. This compares poorly with Kerala, which has reported 12,000 infant deaths, said Kumar. The officer said folk dance and drama were an effective means to create awareness on health among the people.

New Delhi: India aims to meet the much-awaited goal of reaching the total fertility rate (TFR) — the average number of children born to a woman — to 2.1% by the end of 12th Five-Year Plan (2012-17)

Feeding a newborn with breast milk within 6-8 hours of birth is essential as it helps reduce the infant mortality rate by over 10% annually.

Obstetricians and healthcare workers must pull out all stops in bringing down pregnancy related deaths was the primary objective of the maternal and perinatal health workshop sponsored by Asia Oceania Federation of Obstetrics and Gynaecology and annual conference of Tiruchi Obstetrics and Gynaecological Society (TRIOGS) that concluded here on Sunday.

Saving the mother and baby at all costs should be top priority, Suchitra Pandit, vice-chairperson, Indian College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (ICOG) told The Hindu .

JAIPUR: Each and every maternal death in the state will be audited on a monthly basis at the district health society meetings headed by district collectors. The decision was taken to bring down the high rate of maternal deaths, which is currently 318 per 1,00,000 lakh live births.

Principal secretary, health, B N Sharma said the district health society meeting, headed by the collectors, will audit each and every maternal and infant death. Besides, each death would be reported at the medical directorate.

JAIPUR: One out of four women in Rajasthan delivers her child at home, which is a major cause of maternal deaths. The state government has a tough job on its hands to reduce the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) from 318 per lakh live births to 150 and infant mortality rate (IMR) from 55 per 1000 live births to 25 per 1000 births by 2015.

Around 23% pregnant women continue to deliver at home even though the Central and state governments have been spending crores every year to promote institutional deliveries under various schemes including the state flagship scheme- Janani Shishu Suraksha Yojana (JSSY).

Latest Planning Report Says State’s Progress Is Off-Track

Jaipur: The latest report for Rajasthan on the millennium development goals (MDG) released by the state planning board revealed that the state is likely to miss its targeted goals set for 2015. The state has performed poorly in many of the indicators under the MDG report released on Thursday. The progress in child mortality rate, maternal health, gender equality and empowerment of woman and marginalized communities is completely off track. The statistics noted in the report for Rajasthan are painting a grim picture of the state’s development.