Guwahati: With a horrible infant mortality rate (IMR), maternal mortality ratio (MMR) and having missed out on reaching the IMR target of 25 per 1000 live births, set by the millennium development goals (MDG) in 2015, Assam on Thursday saw the launch of Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) across all districts in the state, along with the rest of the nation, to curb IMR, MMR and under five mortality rate (U5MR).

The latest National Family Health Survey 4 (NFHS) report states Assam has an IMR of 48 and a U5MR of 56.

Under the recent PMSMA scheme, pregnant women need to go for health checkups.

High-risk pregnant women need to be identified, and counselling has be provided on nutrition, family planning and overall birth readiness for newborns and postnatal care.

As per the new NFHS 4 report, Assam recorded 70.6% Institutional Delivery (ID) in 2015-16, which was 74.2% in 2013-14 as per data provided by Rapid Survey on Children. The national average was 78.7%.

Stay updated on the go with Times of India News App. Click here to download it for your device.