Maternal, child health improve considerably after NRHM, says UNICEF surve

The immunization coverage at the national level has gone upto 61 per cent by 2010 from the early figure of 43.5 per cent in 2005-06 in the Indian States, according to the Coverage Evaluation Survey 2009 (CES-2009), officially commissioned by the UNICEF.
Of the 23 states that have shown improvement in full immunization coverage when compared to NFHS -3 (2005-06), nine states have shown improvement in full immunization coverage by 20 -30 per cent and similarly in six states the improvement has been between 10-20 per cent. The large states like Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Jharkhand, Bihar, Assam, Karnataka, and Maharashtra have shown improvement of full immunization coverage of more than 15 per cent as compared to NFHS-3.
These improvements have been due to the various National Rural Health Mission initiatives including strengthening of the immunization programme, according to the nationwide survey covering all States and Union Territories conducted during November 2009 to January 2010. The CES shows significant increase in major indicators for maternal and child health including immunization and reaffirms the positive results of the strategies under the NRHM.
Janani Suraksha Yojana has changed the scenario of institutional delivery in the country. The CES results show that when compared to data of NFHS-III, which provides the figures for 2005-06, beginning of NRHM, certain important parameters of maternal health have shown impressive increases. Institutional delivery has increased from 40.7 per cent to 72.9 per cent while safe delivery by skilled birth attendants has increased from 48.2 per cent to 76 per cent. Mothers who had three or more ante natal check-ups as also increased from 50.7 per cent to 68.7 per cent.
In the backward states such as Madhya Pradesh institutional delivery has increased from 29.7 per cent to 81 per cent, in Orissa institutional delivery has increased from 38.8 per cent to 75.5 per cent, in Rajasthan from 32.2 per cent to 70.4 per cent, in Bihar from 22.0 per cent to 48.3 per cent, in Chhattisgarh from 15.7 per cent to 44.9 per cent and in Uttar Pradesh this has increased from 22.0 per cent to 62.1 per cent, as per the survey.
There has been a considerable improvement in Child Health indicators as compared to NFHS III (2005 -06). The proportion of children with diarrhoea in the last two weeks who received ORS has increased from 26 per cent in NFHS III to 53.6 in CES 2009 while the proportion of children with Acute Respiratory Infection in the last two weeks who were given advice or treatment has increased from 69 per cent to 82.6 per cent during the same period, the survey said. 
Source:Pharmabiz