According to Health, Medical Education and Family Welfare Minister Satya Kumar Yadav, an action plan will soon be introduced to reduce maternal and infant deaths in Andhra Pradesh.
In a statement on Wednesday, Mr Satya Kumar said that as part of the plan, a team of three doctors, including a paediatrician, a gynecologist and a specialist in preventive medicine, had been formed at the district level to investigate the factors contributing to the deaths.
The team would find out if there are any gaps in medical services provided to pregnant women, new mothers and infants.
With the support of the World Health Organization and the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF), medical experts would evaluate the services in line with the guidelines laid down by the Union government under the ‘Newborn Action Plan of India’, he said.
Teams formed in each district visited all government hospitals and reviewed services provided to women and children under five years and also sought feedback from patients.
Based on this, the teams would submit a report to the health ministry, based on which an action plan would be formulated at the district and state levels to ensure that the deficiencies are removed and not repeated, the minister said.
Currently, Andhra Pradesh’s Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), which measures deaths of infants under one year of age, is lower than the national IMR.
“19 out of every 1,000 live births die in the state,” the minister said, adding that at the national level it is 25 out of every 1,000 live births. The minister said that of the 19 deaths, 16 occurred in the first 28 days of childbirth, which is called the neonatal period.
On Wednesday, a workshop was organized for medical professionals where they were instructed on how to get information from hospitals. Health officials explained to them the measures being taken to reduce IMR in the state. Representatives of WHO and UNICEF, who were also present, outlined other measures that were necessary to achieve the goal.
Published – 21 Jan 2026 20:46 IST
