Context:
According to the Annual Health Report – 2024-25 released by the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Uttar Pradesh ranks among the states with the highest child mortality rates in the country, despite showing year-on-year improvements.
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- The report stated that 43 out of every 1,000 children born in UP die before reaching their fifth birthday, with the current infant mortality rate (IMR) at 38 per 1,000 live births and the neonatal mortality rate (NMR) at 28.
- The state ranks just behind Madhya Pradesh, where the infant mortality rate is 43 per 1,000 live births and the neonatal mortality rate (NMR) is 31, both significantly higher than the national averages of 28 for IMR and 20 for NMR.
- The report highlighted UP as a low-performing state in institutional childbirth, with home births still common in rural areas due to a lack of facilities.
- A 2020 UNICEF India report indicates that nearly 46% of maternal deaths and 40% of neonatal deaths occur during labor or within the first 24 hours after birth.
- The main causes of newborn deaths are pre-maturity (35%), neonatal infections (33%), birth asphyxia (20%), and congenital malformations (9%).
- The annual report, however, states UP and Karnataka saw the highest drop-in under-five mortality rate, each by five points from 2019 when it was recorded at 48 out of 1,000 live births.
- In comparison, India’s average decline was three points from 35 per 1,000 live births in 2019 to 32 per 1,000 live births in 2020.
- A CAG report released in December 2024 notes that UP still ranks “below the national average for these indicators.”
- The annual health report states that Noida, despite having several private maternity hospitals, lacks a dedicated government women’s hospital or maternal care unit, and has recorded over 5,000 home births since 2021.
- As of March 2022, Gorakhpur and Lucknow districts have the most maternal care facilities, while districts like Bhadohi, Kannauj, and Kasganj face a shortage.
- Uttar Pradesh set a goal to reduce its maternal mortality rate (MMR) to 140 per lakh live births by 2020, as part of its Vision 2030 plan.
- However, the Sample Registration System (SRS) 2018-20 report, published by the Registrar General of India in November 2022, revealed that the MMR was 167 per lakh live births, higher than the national average of 97 per lakh live births.
- The CAG report noted that there was improvement in indicators such as institutional deliveries, neonatal mortality rate, infant mortality rate, and under-5 mortality rate from NFHS 4 (2015-16) to NFHS 5 (2019-21).
