India Reports Dramatic Fall in Infant Mortality to 19 per 1000 Li...

India Sample Registration System bulletin confirmed that the country infant mortality rate has fallen to 19 per 1,000 live births for the first time, down from 32 per 1,000 in 2015 — a 40% improvement in a decade that public health experts describe as exceptional for a country of India scale. The decline was steepest in Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, and Odisha — historically the highest-burden states — which have each reduced infant mortality by over 50% in the same period. Improved institutional delivery rates, now at 91%, expansion of neonatal care units at district hospitals, and the government-funded Janani Suraksha Yojana conditional cash transfer for hospital deliveries were credited as the primary drivers. UNICEF India Representative commended the results and noted India is now tracking ahead of schedule to reach Sustainable Development Goal targets for child mortality by 2030.