The Hindu : Tamil Nadu / Chennai News : 80 per cent of the maternal, child mortality is preventable: Health Secretary

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Sunday, Jun 28, 2009
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Tamil Nadu

Tamil Nadu - Chennai

80 per cent of the maternal, child mortality is preventable: Health Secretary

Staff Reporter

— Photo: S.R.Raghunathan

SUCCESSFUL CAMPAIGN: Principal Secretary, Health, V.K.Subburaj (left), NRHM Consultant G.Thangamani (centre) and former DGP V.Vaikunth at a programme organised by the Rotary Club of Madras Centenary Commemoration to mark the completion of the first phase of its campaign on Saturday.

CHENNAI: The government is prepared to extend more support to voluntary agencies engaged in community service projects, according to V.K. Subburaj, Principal Secretary, Health.

Speaking at a function organised by the Rotary Club of Madras Centenary Commemoration to mark the completion of the first phase of its campaign against child mortality here on Saturday, he said, “Around 80 per cent of the maternal and child mortality in the country is preventable.”

He stressed the importance of the cooperation of non-governmental and social service organisations with the government in reducing child mortality in the country. As India had the highest infant mortality in the world in terms of absolute numbers, proper planning had to support the attainment of the objective of reducing it, he said.

Awareness was low among women with around 50 per cent of them in the country being illiterate, Mr. Subburaj said.

President of the Rotary Club of Madras Centenary Commemoration V. Vaikunth said that the government has to be a catalyst of change in the condition of child mortality in the country.

Editor of The Hindu N. Ravi stressed the need for programmes that put more money in the hands of women for effectively addressing child health issues.

The Health Department had contributed towards the improvement in social parameters in the State by active programmes. However, the data on child mortality was not very comforting, he said.

Children were the most vulnerable sections on account of the lack of attention in the current economic slowdown. The posters released at the function should result in adoption of good child rearing practices as they were powerful tools of communication, he said.

He underscored the need for raising the outlays in order to meet the targets of the Millennium Development Goals with regard to reduction of infant mortality in the country. Mr. Ravi distributed appointment orders for destitute children trained in DTP and said The Hindu was committed to the welfare of persons with disability.

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