MP remains on top in Infant Mortality Rate

Madhya Pradesh remains on top in infant mortality rate (IMR) in India for a record 15th year, with infant deaths at 47 per 1,000 live births. This means that out of every 1000 children born the state, 47 do not survive to celebrate their first birthday.

According to data from the Sample Registration System (SRS) of 2017, released on Friday, Madhya Pradesh’s shocking record in IMR has remained unchanged at 47/1000 per birth from the previous year, that is 2016.

While the rural IMR has gone up from 50 in 2016 to 51 in 2017, while the urban figure has dipped from 33 to 32 (per 1,000 live births).

The SRS data is released by the office of the Census and Registrar General of India. The overall IMR for India for 2017 is 33 per 1,000 live births, just a point lower than 34 recorded in 2016.

The second-highest IMR in the country for 2017 has been reported in Assam at 44, while the third highest is in Odisha at 41. The state with lowest IMR continues to be Kerala, with IMR at 10 per 1,000 live births.

Assam had IMR equal to Madhya Pradesh (worst in the country) in 2013 at 54/1,000 live births. But the northeastern state managed to reduce it by 10 points since, while Madhya Pradesh has gone down only seven points.

Expressing concern over shocking IMR in the state, nutrition expert Sachin Jain said this is largely because the state government has failed to address larger issues such as livelihood insecurity, environment insecurity, and climate change.

Madhya Pradesh Health Commissioner Nitesh Vyas, however, attributed the stagnant IMR to the increase in reporting of infant deaths due to more registrations at facilities like Special Neonatal Care Units (SNCUs) and others.