Current Context: The “Levels and Trends in Child Mortality” report, released by the United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation (UNIGME), highlights key global child mortality trends, with India showing significant achievements.

Key Achievements for India:

• 70% decline in under-five mortality rate.
• 61% decline in neonatal mortality rate.
• 4% reduction in stillbirths, ranking India 7th globally for progress in this area.

Factors Contributing to Improvements:

• Enhanced health infrastructure: Maternity homes, newborn care units, and trained health workers.
• Ayushman Bharat Scheme: Provides US$5500 health coverage per family, focusing on maternal and infant care.
• Data & surveillance improvements: Continuous monitoring and evidence-based decision-making.
• Global Context: Despite India’s progress, in 2023, 8 million children died before age five, with many deaths preventable due to unequal healthcare access.