Reducing infant (0–11 months) and child (0–4 years) mortality in India: a disposition from the Sample Registration System

Abstract

Despite major advances in maternal and child health care initiatives in India, the Millennium Development Goal (MDG)-4 targeting a two-third reduction in under-five mortality appears to be unattainable by 2015. This paper assesses India’s feasibility towards averting infant (0–11 months) and child (0–4 years) mortality by 2015 across regions and major states. Using statewise estimates on infant mortality rate (IMR) during 1990–2009 and child mortality rate (CMR) during 1990–2008 from the Sample Registration System of India, this paper estimates average annual rate of reduction (AARR) in IMR and CMR across regions and major states. The estimates are also provided for the shortfall in IMR and CMR from the projected estimates of 2015 and the required AARR for the successive years up to 2015. Estimated figures suggest that India has experienced a substantial decline in the IMR and CMR since 1990. However, an AARR of around 10 and 8 % is required for reducing infant (during 2010–2015) and child mortality (during 2009–2015), respectively, in order to achieve a two-third reduction in the IMR and CMR from the level of 1990. Although the MDG-4 target is based on U5MR in totality, this study draws attention towards the progress in major components of the U5MR separately, and advocates for disaggregation of MDG target at national level in terms of focus (region-specific) towards achieving required reduction in separate components of under-five mortality.