Women and children's health pressing agenda for Govt: Nadda

Health concerns, especially those related to women, children and adolescents, are "prominent and pressing" agenda for the Narendra Modi-led government, Union Minister J P Nadda today said.
Noting that under-five and maternal mortality rates in the country have registered a decline over the years, the Health Minister said he was "hopeful" that the country will achieve UN's Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) 4 and 5 which aims at reducing child and maternal mortality rates.
MDGs 4 and 5 call for a two-third reduction of under five child deaths and a three-quarter reduction of maternal deaths respectively by the end of 2015.

"The health of women, children and adolescents is one of the most prominent and pressing agenda for the global community. ... Health and public health concerns, especially those related to women and mothers, children and adolescents, are central to the governance agenda of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and our country," he said.
Nadda was speaking at the Global Stakeholders Consultation event here on the topic of updated global strategy for women's, children's and adolescents' health - "Every Woman, Every Child".
Noting that global progress has been uneven and it differed across and within countries, Nadda said that there is a need to reach the poorest and the most vulnerable.

"We need to pay special attention to low-income countries, and fragile states and vulnerable groups such as adolescents and youth, older persons, persons with disabilities and indigenous peoples," he said.

Nadda said that the under-five mortality rate has come down by over 61 per cent between 1990 and 2013 while the neonatal mortality rate has registered a 47 per cent decline between 1990 and 2013.
"The maternal mortality indicators have come down substantially, making for a reduction of nearly 70 per cent between 1990 and 2013.
"At this point in time I am very hopeful that India may achieve its targets for both MDG 4 and 5," he said.

Global Stakeholders Consultation seeks to draft a blueprint that will feed into UN efforts to chalk out key targets to improve health of women, child and adolescents in the years beyond 2015.