| Abstract: | This editorial presents data on maternal and child health and mortality in India. Since 1946, government health recommendations have recognized the high rate of mortality affecting women and children as well as the extent of malnutrition and disease they suffer. The Eighth Five-Year Plan has set specific goals for the years 2000 in terms of the infant, under age five years, and maternal mortality rate; the crude birth and death rates; life expectancy; elimination of poliomyelitis and neonatal tetanus; immunization coverage; and delivery by trained attendant. A discussion of recent data reveals that only slow declines have occurred in neonatal mortality and that a significantly higher age specific death rate for 0-4 years exists in rural than in urban areas. Malnutrition is shown to affect nearly half of all children and to contribute to 60% of all child deaths. Irrational drug use is also a major health problem. The family planning program has been burdened with targets and has focused on sterilization in women over age 35. This approach has had little effect on the birth rate. Tabulation of the relationship between birth rate, infant mortality rate, and marriage age shows the importance of marriage age. A table also illustrates the percentage of births by type of attendant in rural and urban areas. The low status of women is seen as contributing to the problem, with females having a higher death rate than males until age 35. While these statistics are pessimistic, some organizations are producing excellent work in an effort to solve these problems. |
