United Nations: India's efforts and progress in reducing preventable child deaths has been lauded as "exemplar" by the United Nations, which cited the example of health initiatives such as Ayushman Bharat, and said the country has saved millions of young lives through strategic investments in its health system.
The United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation report, released this week, cited the example of five “exemplar countries” in achieving child mortality reduction -- India, Nepal, Senegal, Ghana, and Burundi -- highlighting diverse strategies that have accelerated progress in reducing preventable child deaths.
The report said these countries illustrate that with "political will, evidence-based strategies and sustained investments, even resource-constrained settings facing unique challenges can achieve substantial reductions in mortality, bringing the world closer to an end to preventable child deaths".
On India, the report said the country has made gains through health system investment. The report highlighted that since 2000, India achieved an under-five mortality reduction of 70 per cent and a neonatal mortality reduction of 61 per cent, “driven by overlapping measures to increase health coverage, enhance available interventions and develop health infrastructure and human resources", the report said.
It cited the example of Ayushman Bharat, the world's largest health insurance scheme, which provides annual coverage of nearly USD 5,500 per family per year. It noted that every pregnant woman is entitled to free delivery (including caesarean section), and infant care provides free transport, medications, diagnostics and dietary support in public health institutions.
