Union government is concerned about high neonatal mortality and fatality coming from pneumonia and diarrhoea cases.“These diseases continue to be leading causes of deaths in the country attributing to about 80 per cent of the overall under-5 mortality, says Dr. Rakesh Kumar, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

Speaking at a national seminar on Post 2015 Sustainable Development Agenda and the Global Strategy for Women’s, Children’s and Adolescent Health’ held early this week at New Delhi , Dr. Kumar said interventions such as continuum of care, reaching the unreached, improving quality of care, introduction of 3 new pediatric vaccines in the Universal Immunization Programme, Project Indradhanush, Corticosteroids injections, roll out of the Integrated Action Plan for Pneumonia and Diarrhoea prevention across UP, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, would help achieve improved results on MDG4. India has seen a 61 per cent decline in Under-5 mortality rate since 1990, higher than the global average.

“Schemes like Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram, access to skilled birth attendants, transportation access, sharpening the equity focus have enabled a higher rate of decline of Maternal Mortality Rates in India by 71 per cent, down from 560 in 1990 to 167 in 2013. However, adolescent pregnancies continue to be an area of concern in India. Initiatives such as delayed age of marriage, ensuring spacing at birth, adolescent health programmes such as weekly iron and folic acid supplements, Adolescent Friendly Health Clinics, Menstrual Hygiene Scheme and Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram are targeted at achieving improved results on adolescent health in India,” he added.

Commenting on the importance and need for a National Consultation, Shireen Vakil Miller, Head of Policy, Save the Children said that India has made dramatic progress in bringing the under-5 mortality from 114 in 1990 to 50 per 1000 live births in 2012, showing a commendable decline of 58 per cent. Yet, India also represents some of the greatest challenges like inequity in seeing this revolution through. India has persistently high rates of newborn mortality and accounts for 27 per cent of all newborn deaths globally, with 7,85,000 newborn deaths a year. This consultation is an attempt to incorporate learnings from MDGs so that the post- 2015 development goals are more comprehensive and with equity as the bedrock.”

The event organised by RMNCH+A Coalition in collaboration with Save the Children and White Ribbon Alliance of India had  representation from the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, United Nations (UN), World Health Organisation, CHETNA, Pathfinder, World Vision and The Partnership for Maternal, Newborn & Child Health, Centre for Catalysing Change.