Health Minister wants child death reduction targets achieved before schedule

DELHI, INDIA (September 18, 2014) – Dr Harsh Vardhan, Union Health Minister, has said that the government is confident of reducing the newborn (birth to 28 days) mortality rate to single digit long before the 2030 target date. The present death rate is 29 per 1,000 live births. For this are required simple, cost-effective interventions before and immediately after delivery.

Inaugurating the Indian Newborn Action Plan (INAP) here today, the Minister said that of the 2.8 million newborns who die at birth worldwide, India contributes 700,000. “These are preventable deaths and now we have an action plan for preventing them. I don’t believe in long-range targets. We must achieve our goal within a short time.”

INAP has been prepared with the help of expertise drawn from distinguished members of a Technical Resource Group. They have set out a vision of a world in which there are no preventable deaths of newborns or still births, where every pregnancy is wanted, every birth is celebrated and every woman, baby and child thrive to reach to reach their full potential.

The Minister said that INAP will be implemented under the existing Reproductive, Maternal, Child Health and Adolescents Plus (RMNCHA+) framework. Six evidence-based, effective strategies impacting still births and newborn health will be used. These include preconception and antenatal care, care during labour and child birth, immediate newborn care, care of healthy newborns, care of small and sick newborns and care beyond newborn survival.

Under the sixth pillar of care –beyond newborn survival – India has taken the vital decision to improve the quality of life for those with birth defects, neuro-developmental delay and disabilities. Effective implementation of the strategic plan will be ensured through a systematic plan for monitoring and evaluation of dashboard indicators and milestones.

Recalling the involvement of all stakeholders in the fight against polio, Dr Harsh Vardhan wanted a replication while saving the lives of newborns. In this struggle the role of the Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHA) will be crucial. It is also essential to identify and close all the gaps in the system, he stated.

Praising Mr Bill Gates and Mrs Melinda Gates for their valuable support to India’s health programmes and particularly Mother and Child Care, Dr Harsh Vardhan said the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is doing valuable work in the rural areas of the country.

“Just as he revolutionised the basic human thought process through the personal computer revolution, Bill Gates has saved millions of lives by donating billions of dollars for transforming conditions of human existence. At a time when the anti-polio campaign was threatened for want of adequate funds, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation stepped in with help. They are invaluable partners in our fight against disease and death,” Dr Harsh Vardhan said.

The Minister also thanked the Indian Academy of Pediatricians for the work done by its members in helping infants survive the most vulnerable years. “We have a deadline to meet the United Nations Millennium Development Goals which is only a year away. I hope to get every doctor’s contribution in achieving this target,” he said.

Speaking on the occasion, Mr Bill Gates, Chair of the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, wholesomely praised the Minister for his pioneering work in polio eradication. “There are lessons to be learnt from India’s fight against polio which may be applied against other diseases also,” he pointed out.

Mr Gates lauded the government for expanding the list of diseases under the Universal Immunisation Programme. He highlighted the importance of including the Rotavirus vaccine in the package.

Mrs Melinda Gates, Co-Chair of the Foundation, said that by launching INAP, India has shown leadership in addressing newborn and maternal mortality. She too commended the ASHA and auxiliary nurse midwives for their roles in Mother and Child care in the rural areas. “Healthy mothers and healthy children are crucial for India to realise the demographic dividend,” she added.

About the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation
Guided by the belief that every life has equal value, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation works to help all people lead healthy, productive lives. In developing countries, it focuses on improving people’s health and giving them the chance to lift themselves out of hunger and extreme poverty. In the United States, it seeks to ensure that all people—especially those with the fewest resources—have access to the opportunities they need to succeed in school and life. Based in Seattle, Washington, the foundation is led by CEO Sue Desmond-Hellmann and Co-chair William H. Gates Sr., under the direction of Bill and Melinda Gates and Warren Buffett.

###