Govt concerned over MMR, malnutrition, to take steps to tackle them

New Delhi, Aug 22 (UNI) Expressing concern over the high maternal mortality and prevalence of malnutrition, Health and Family Welfare Minister Anbumani Ramadoss today said no policy can be effective without taking into consideration the social reality of exclusion.

Pointing to the corelation between the low health indicators and the fact of social deprivation among the Scheduled Castes, Scheduled Tribes, other backward sections and minorities, Dr Ramadoss said development has to be an all inclusive process and without including deprived sections, the growth cannot be real.

Speaking at a seminar on 'MDG and the Socially Excluded- a critical appraisal' organised by Indian Institute of Dalit Studies here, Dr Ramadoss said better socio-economic profile of the south Indian states indicated that the social inclusion through the in-depth reservation policies that has brought about the development.

There are important lessons as in all health indicators such as Infant Mortality Rate, Maternal Mortality Rate and Under-Nourishment, SCs, and STs fare very poorly. However, indicators with regard to sex ratio are much better in these deprived communities as there is better value for life, Dr Ramadoss said.

Referring to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's emphasis on health, education and agriculture, Dr Ramadoss expressed satisfaction for the strides made by the National Rural Health Mission. Due to excellent performance in Janani Suraksha Yojana and other components of NRHM, India is likely to achieve Millennium Development Goals with regard to Infant Mortality Rate (IMR).

'However maternal mortality remains an area of concern. This along with mal-nourishment remains the key focus of the government efforts', he said.

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