Arunachal records sharp gains in maternal, child health: CM Khandu

Itanagar: Arunachal Pradesh has registered significant improvements in maternal and child healthcare over the past decade, with institutional deliveries nearing 90 per cent, infant and child mortality declining substantially, and immunisation coverage more than doubling, Chief Minister Pema Khandu said on Thursday. The chief minister highlighted the state's health sector achievements in the past ten years of his government, through a social media post. Sharing a video, Khandu said the state's healthcare transformation was bringing tangible changes by ensuring safer motherhood, healthier newborns and a better future for children. "The real story of any change is not in hospitals, but in healthy lives," the chief minister said in a post on X, describing improvements in maternal and child health indicators as one of the most meaningful outcomes of the government's efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery. According to the figures shared by Khandu, institutional deliveries in Arunachal Pradesh have increased from 52.5 per cent in 2016 to 89.2 per cent now, reflecting a dramatic rise in safe childbirths at health facilities. He said infant mortality has witnessed a sharp decline, with deaths among infants reducing from 22.9 to 12.9 per 1,000 live births. Neonatal mortality has also dropped from 11.8 to 7.7, while the under-five mortality rate has fallen from 32.9 to 18.8, indicating sustained improvements in child survival. Khandu further said antenatal care coverage has improved considerably, with the proportion of pregnant women receiving antenatal check-ups increasing from 36.9 per cent to 64.8 per cent. The state has also made remarkable progress in immunisation, with complete vaccination coverage among children rising from 38.2 per cent to 93 per cent, the video said. Highlighting another key social indicator, the chief minister said Arunachal's sex ratio has improved from 958 females per 1,000 males to 1,018 females per 1,000 males. "Because when the mother is safe, when the child is healthy, when every life gets a better start, only then the society changes," he said. The chief minister's remarks came amid the state government's continued push to strengthen healthcare infrastructure and expand access to quality medical services. Earlier this month, the state cabinet approved the CM CARES (Chief Minister's Comprehensive Action for Resilient, Equitable & Healthy State) initiative as an umbrella programme to improve affordable healthcare, strengthen existing flagship schemes, intensify tuberculosis elimination efforts and enhance financial protection for patients. The government has also been expanding specialised healthcare services through the Chief Minister Arogya Arunachal Yojana (CMAAY), increasing financial assistance for organ transplants and undertaking a multi-crore expansion of health infrastructure, including new medical colleges and specialised hospitals across the state.