J&K: NMR marks 13.3-point drop; sex ratio at birth improves from 923 to 976

Jammu, Mar 9 (PTI) The neonatal mortality rate (NMR) has reached single digit at 9.8 per 1,000 live births in Jammu and Kashmir, recording a 13.3-point decrease, while the sex ratio at birth has recorded significant improvement from 923 to 976, official data showed.

The infant mortality rate (IMR) also dipped to 16.3, marking a drop of 16.1 points, according to the Economic Survey Report for 2024-25 tabled by the Jammu and Kashmir government in the Assembly on March 6.

The report said the government is continuing its efforts to enhance basic health infrastructure at all levels, including technical manpower and medical equipment to provide improved healthcare delivery with special focus on maternal and child health, communicable and non-communicable diseases, and to face the upcoming challenging ailments.

Jammu and Kashmir has moved forward from the category of ‘performers’ to ‘front-runners’, as per the SDG India Index 2023-24 released by the NITI Aayog, with the score of the health sector increasing from 70 to 78.

“The NMR has reached a single digit of 9.8 per 1,000 live births, a 13.3-point decrease, while the IMR has dipped to 16.3 with a decrease of 16.1 points. Sex ratio at birth also recorded a significant improvement, from 923 to 976,” the report said.

The percentage of fully-immunised children against preventable diseases has increased to 96.5 per cent, it said.

Institutional births have increased from 85.6 per cent to 92.40 per cent, while life expectancy at birth in J-K has reached 74.3 years — the highest in the country after Kerala and Delhi — against a national average of 70 years, the report said.

Since its inception, 100 per cent families have registered and 86.12 lakh Ayushman Golden cards have been issued under the AB-PMJAY – SEHAT scheme, it said, adding that this initiative has facilitated treatments worth Rs 2,800 crore, benefiting 15 lakh individuals.

As many as 489 ambulances have been geo-tagged and integrated with online 108/102 ambulatory services.

These efforts have enabled quick response times (average response time less than half-an-hour) and served more than 4.50 lakh beneficiaries since August 2020.

Over the past four years, J-K has significantly expanded its healthcare workforce, including hiring of 10,919 doctors and paramedical staff under the National Health Mission (NHM), alongside filling up of 36,274 regular positions in health and medical education, besides supporting 13,965 ASHA workers, the report said.

Infrastructural upgradation and consolidation of health institutions include two AIIMS, two state cancer institutes and two bone and joint hospitals, while 3,100 health and wellness centres have been operationalised by upgrading the existing public health centres and Ayush dispensaries, the report said.

Also, bed capacity in hospitals has been increased to 21,966 while medical oxygen generation capacity has been extended from 14916 LPM to 1,27,901 LPM (almost nine times) since August 2020 through 177 operational oxygen generation plants (OGPs), it said.

There has been an unprecedented expansion in medical education with the establishment of new medical colleges, it added.

Ten government medical colleges, including nine offering MBBS, one unani, one ayurvedic and one homeopathy courses have been started.

The capacity of MBBS seats has been increased from 500 to 1,300, the report said, adding that more than 5,000 seats have been added in MBBS, DNB, post-graduate and nursing courses since 2019.