IMR of just five; Kerala's massive achievement in public health sector

The public health sector in Kerala has made great strides in maternal and child care. Kerala thus achieved the rare feat of becoming the state with the lowest infant mortality rate in the country. While 25 out of 1000 infants born in India die, in Kerala, it is only five. The statistical report of the Sample Registration System recorded the infant mortality rate in the state as five, while the national average is 25. This is a great achievement that proves that the public health system under the supervision of the Health Department is functioning healthily despite many limitations.

Low infant mortality rate and high life expectancy are benchmarks to identify a developed state from an underdeveloped one. By that margin, Kerala is ahead of even the developed countries of the world. Since 2019-20, Kerala has been at the top of NITI Aayog's health index rankings. While the global average of life expectancy is 73.5, it is 77 in Kerala. In states like Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, the infant mortality rate is 37. Moreover, there is a huge gap between the infant mortality rate in cities and the infant mortality rate in villages. In Kerala, there is no such gap. The infant mortality rate in cities and villages remains at five.

The medical excellence provided at SAT Hospital for women and children in Thiruvananthapuram is on par with world-class standards. The fact that there is a trend here to cast a shadow over the health sector, even for minor mistakes and thus underplaying the real contributions, should not be encouraged. The medical sector in many developed countries of the world is in the hands of the private sector and insurance companies. In such countries, an ill person will have to wait for months to get an appointment with a doctor. When compared to that, Kerala can take pride in having a people-friendly health sector.

Compared to other states in the country, most childbirths in Kerala take place in hospitals, thus eliminating the archaic method of employing midwives. Private hospitals operating in the same sector in Kerala also provide excellent services, although at a higher service cost. The rate of women dying during childbirth in Kerala is only 46 per lakh. The treatment and services provided by the state's primary health centres to ordinary patients here are better than those available in any other state. At the same time, it cannot be ignored that there are many flaws in this system that still need to be resolved. It is not surprising that the authorities take a scapegoat approach when someone points this out. If the flaws are resolved, Kerala can still do wonders in the field of public health.