The is the first year of the new global development framework- Sustainable Development Goals and the new global targets will influence the lives of Indian children. India was the first country in the world to have launched a National Programme for Family Planning in 1952. One of the goals was to stabilise the population at a level consistent and this programme has since come a long way. It now looks at population stabilization and reducing maternal, infant and child mortality and morbidity.However, despite significant improvements in maternal and child health much more needs to be done.
According to an article by Bidisha Pillai from Save the Children:
- an estimated 47,000 mothers and 7.3 lakhs neonates continue to die every year due to causes related to pregnancy, childbirth and during the post-partum period
- the major medical causes of the maternal deaths are haemorrhage (38%), sepsis (11%), abortion (8%), hypertensive disorders (5%), obstructed labour (5%) and ‘other’ causes including anaemia (34%), according to SRS 2011-03
- a large proportion of newborn deaths are still due to preventable causes.
As she rightly says, India has a responsibility to ensure that newborns and infants have a healthy life, along with their mothers.
