'Poor Indian kids more likely to die by 5 than richer ones'
Ahead of the high-level UN summit to assess progress in the Millennium Development Goals later this month, a recent report says children from the poorest communities in India are three times more likely to die before they reach the age of five than those from high income groups. The new global report titled 'A Fair Chance at Life' by international child rights organisation 'Save the Children' says reductions in child mortality in India and elsewhere in the world appeared to focus on children from better-off communities leaving children from the most disadvantaged backgrounds behind. Of the 26 million children born in India every year, approximately 1.83 million children die before their fifth birthday in India. Half of these deaths occur within a month of the child being born (the neonatal period), says the report. The under five mortality rate in Kerala is 14 deaths per 1,000 live births. This stands at a sharp contrast to Madhya Pradesh at 92 per 1000, 91 per 1000 for Uttar Pradesh and 89 per 1000 for Orissa. These inequalities are also marked in respect of newborn mortality rates. While the rate for Kerala is 7 per thousand, the comparable figures for Madhya Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Orissa are 48, 45 and 47. In 2008, 5.3 lakh children under 5 died in the lowest income quintile in India in comparison to 1.78 lakh among the highest wealth quintile. The rate of decline in under five mortality rate between 1997-98 to 2005-06 among the lowest income quintile is 22.69 per cent compared to 34.37 per cent among the high income quintile for the same period. "The 41 per cent decline in child mortality over the last nearly two decades masks a dangerous expansion of the child mortality gap between the richest and poorest families in India," says Thomas Chandy, CEO, Save the Children. "What these aggregate figures do not reveal are the huge inequities in mortality rates across the country, within States and between them, as well as between children in urban and rural areas," points out Chandy. In the year 2000, world leaders committed themselves to eight Millennium Development Goals, including MDG 4 which calls for a two-thirds reduction in under-five mortality between 1990 and 2015. India is a signatory to the original Millennium Declaration and has reaffirmed its support for the Millennium Development Goals, including MDG 4. Despite progress against the target, on the current trajectory, India will fall short of achieving it.
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