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 UN Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation report, released Tuesday, 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.
“Through strategic investments in its health system, India has already saved millions of young lives and paved the way to ensure healthy lives for millions more,” it said.
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.
United Nations cited the example of Ayushman Bharat, the world’s largest health insurance scheme which provides annual coverage of nearly $ 5,500 per family per year.
