India’s attempts to reduce infant mortality insufficient

 India ’s attempts to reduce infant mortality rate has been insufficient according to International standards. According to a report brought out by the International Partnership for Maternal, Newborn and Child Health an organization comprising about 240 members such as UNICEF, WHO and Save the Children that tracks the progress made by 68 priority countries which accounts for 97% of maternal and child deaths worldwide only 16(24%) were on the track to meet the Millennium Development Goals compared to 7 of 60 (12%) in 2005.India is however is not one of them. India’s average annual rate of reduction of child deaths between 1990-2006 has been just 2.6%.While India’s target under the MDG for mortality of children under age 5 is 38 per 1000 live births, the number of children who die before their fifth birthday stands at 76 at present. Infant mortality rate in India stands at 57 per 1000 live births while neonatal mortality rate –deaths in the first month of life stands at 43 per 1000 live births.