Answer: 

Introduction:

The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were eight international development goals established following the Millennium Summit of the United Nations in 2000. Among these, three MDGs directly relate to health: MDG 4 aimed at reducing child mortality rates; MDG 5 focused on improving maternal health; and MDG 6 combatted HIV/AIDS, malaria, and other diseases.

Body:

MDG 4: Reduce Child Mortality:

• The Government of India launched several initiatives to achieve this goal. The most significant among these is the Integrated Child Development Services (ICDS) scheme, which provides a package of services including immunization, health check-ups, referral services, pre-school education, and supplementary nutrition.
• Another critical initiative was the Universal Immunization Programme (UIP), which aimed to immunize all children against seven vaccine-preventable diseases.
• These efforts have led to substantial progress. According to the UN’s final MDG report, India’s Under-Five Mortality Rate dropped from 126 per 1000 live births in 1990 to 49 in 2013.

MDG 5: Improve Maternal Health:

• The National Health Mission (NHM), which includes the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and the National Urban Health Mission (NUHM), has been instrumental in improving maternal health. Under this, the Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) incentivized institutional deliveries, thereby reducing maternal mortality rates.
• India made considerable progress here as well, with the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) falling from 437 per 100,000 live births in 1990-91 to 113 in 2016-18. However, it fell short of the MDG target of 109.

MDG 6: Combat HIV/AIDS, Malaria, and Other Diseases:

• The National AIDS Control Programme (NACP) was launched to prevent and control HIV/AIDS in India. Similarly, the National Vector Borne Disease Control Programme (NVBDCP) was set up to combat diseases like malaria and dengue.
• India has been successful in halting and reversing the incidence of malaria, with a significant decline in the number of cases reported annually. The incidence of HIV also decreased by 57% from 2000 to 2011.

Conclusion:

While India made significant progress towards achieving the health-related MDGs, the progress was not uniform, and several challenges remained. With the advent of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in 2015, which are an extension and expansion of the MDGs, India continues to work towards improving the health and wellbeing of its citizens.

DOWNLOAD PDF