Children whose mothers die either immediately or a few months after the birth of the child makes such children deprived of the nutritious breast milk of the mother. Earlier, there were no options of helping out such children but now with improvements in technology, the hope has still not wiped out completely.

Lately, we saw the Health Department of Uttarakhand which has planned to set up a 'Mother Milk Bank', the first time this facility is going to be introduced in the State. The extension of this amenity shall assist in providing the nutritious milk of the mother to the newborn.

Under this scheme, lactating women can donate milk to the bank. According to the National Health Mission's Sample Registration System (SRS) report in 2021, Uttarakhand had the third-largest infant mortality rate of 27 deaths per 1000 live births among 10 Himalayan states of the country.

To reduce the infant mortality rate in the State, the government is taking steps to carry out institutional delivery of the pregnant women. Thanks to the government efforts that now the infant mortality rate is receding in count.

The government has made arrangements to take pregnant women to a hospital free of cost. Under this scheme, pregnant women are given Rs 2,000, Rs 1,500 for the mother's food Rs 500 for the child's naming ceremony.

The State administration shall now take steps in increasing the number of specialist and government doctors. By the year 2025, the state aims to counter it's a shortage of surgeons in the State. Although, this seems like an uphill task given the backward status of the State in terms of health facilities. The increased expenditure on health services in the State can lead to positive outcomes in the health indicators of the State.

Child and Mother Care facilities constitute the primary block of the country. Reduced instances of malnutrition can signal a bright future for the country.

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Reference:

• drishtiias.com