Thiruvananthapuram: Amid drawing global acclaim for its deft handling of the coronavirus crisis by mostly deploying domestic resources, the state of Kerala has added another feather to its cap by bringing down the infant mortality rate (IMR) to seven from ten per 1,000 births.
In a significant achievement, Kerala has brought its infant mortality rate (IMR), down from 10 to the single digit of 7 (per 1,000 live births) against the United Nations set target of 8 for 2020, according to the latest Sample Registration System (SRS) bulletin.
Along with extending Mother's Day wishes to all mothers, Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan said on Saturday that while the national average for IMR was 32 per 1,000 births, the state has only seven.
"The biggest happiness for mothers are their children. As we are celebrating the Mothers's Day on Sunday, we have the good news that the state has reduced the IMR to seven from ten. This is a major achievement for us. That means out of thousand kids born, we save 993 lives. Still seven deaths are unacceptable and sad," Vijayan said.
"Even the UN committee for sustainable development considers this as a major achievement. The United Nations had set the goal of bringing down the IMR to eight per thousand births for 2020. But we have done even better. We brought it down to seven. It is indeed a proud moment for Kerala," said Vijayan, who aims to bring down the figure to zero.
The chief minister said that the state can achieve the goal by focusing on the health of new-born babies, while also implementing programmes to address the lack of nutrition in pregnant women, right from the lower level.
Stating that the birth rate has also come down from 14.2 to 13.9 per cent, he said, that the health of citizens can be protected by improving medical facilities and setting up hospitals.
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