UP mortality rates among highest: Report

A sample of about 1.8 crore population in nine states,namely Uttar Pradesh,Bihar,Orissa, Rajasthan,Uttarakhand,Jharkhand,Chhattisgarh,Madhya Pradesh and |

Assam,was covered in the survey.

By recording 8.6 crude death rate (number of deaths per 1,000 population),71 infant mortality rate (number of infant deaths of less than one year of age per 1,000 live births), 94 under-five mortality rate (number of children who die before their fifth birthday per 1,000 live births),50 neo-natal mortality rate (number of infants death in less than 29 days per 1,000 live births),Uttar Pradesh has turned out to be the worst performing state.

Not only this,out of the 284 districts covered in the nine states,Shravasti district of UP has turned out to be the worst on parameters like the crude birth rate of 40.9,the crude death rate of 12.6,the infant mortality rate of 103,and the under-five mortality rate of 142.

A senior Health official in the Union Ministry of Health and Family Welfare said,“The figures of Shravasti are most worrying. At 103,the infant mortality rate of Shravasti district in Uttar Pradesh is a cause of concern because under the UN’s Millennium Development Goal,the national target to achieve is 28 IMR by 2015 and Shravasti and many other districts of UP are far behind that goal.”

He added,“Six districts in these nine states that are considered low on social parameters have already achieved this target. These are Purbi Singhbhum and Dhanbad in Jharkhand,and Chamoli,Rudraprayag,Pithoragarh and Almora in Uttarakhand. But UP has failed to perform.”

However,the official hastened to add that the findings are based on a sample survey.

For UP,the only relief is that the state is better placed in terms of sex ratio in the 0-4 years of age group at 913,ahead of Rajasthan,Uttarakhand and Madhya Pradesh. Not only this,in the sex ratio at birth,Moradabad district of Uttar Pradesh topped with 1,030 girls per 1,000 boys,though in the 0-4 age group it declined to 975. For all age groups,it was still lower at 901 in the district.

The baseline survey was conducted between July 2010 and March 2011 with the main aim of checking the outcomes of initiatives taken under the National Rural Health Mission since 2005. The survey was approved by the Union Cabinet in 2009 and will be a annual feature now.