2 mn slum kids in India die every year: Report

London, Oct 4: According to media report, nearly two million children under the age of five, die every year in India.

More than half of them die the month after birth and 400,000 in their first 24 hours, The Observer said based on a report by an international NGO 'Save the Children'.

The report said, "Even in the national capital, Delhi, where an estimated 20 per cent of people live in slums, the infant mortality rate was reported to have doubled in a year."

Shireen Miller, Head policy and advocacy of the NGO in India said, "The difference between rich and poor is huge. In a city like Delhi it is more stark because we have got state-of-the-art hospitals and women giving birth under flyovers. The health services have failed to deliver."

Malnutrition, neonatal diseases, diarrhea and pneumonia were identified as the major causes of death.

"For many poor parents and their children, seeking medical help is a luxury and health services are often too far away," Miller said

OneIndia News