Nepal improves child and maternal health

A survey report has said Nepal has made significant improvements in child and maternal health indicators.

Nepal Demographic and Health Survey report 2006 jointly carried out by the health ministry, USAID and New Era has revealed that maternal mortality rate in 2006 was 281 per 100,000 live births, a decline from 539 in 1996.

Similarly, child survival has improved significantly in the past five years. Infant and under-five mortality rates have dropped by over 25 per cent since 2001.

The infant mortality rate in 2006 was 48 deaths per 1,000 live births, while under-five mortality was 61 per 1,000 live births. "This means that only one in sixteen children dies before their fifth birthday compared to one in 11 in 2001," said the report.

The report said immunization coverage among children has also improved during this period. According to the report, currently, 83 percent of children ages 12-23 months are immunized against the major childhood diseases. Only two-thirds of children were fully immunized in 2001, said the report.

Fertility has dropped by one child in just five years. Currently, women have an average of 3.1 births during their lifetimes. This represents a significant decline since 2001 when women were having an average of 4.1 births.