India’s efforts and progress in reducing preventable child deaths has been lauded as ‘exemplar’ by the United Nations, which cited the example of health initiatives such as Ayushman Bharat. The report said, the country has saved millions of young lives through strategic investments in its health system. The United Nations Inter-agency Group for Child Mortality Estimation report said the country has made gains through health system investment.

The report highlighted that since 2000, India achieved an under-five mortality reduction of 70 per cent and a neonatal mortality reduction of 61 per cent, driven by overlapping measures to increase health coverage, enhance available interventions and develop health infrastructure and human resources. It cited the example of Ayushman Bharat, the world’s largest health insurance scheme which provides annual coverage of nearly 5,500 US dollars per family per year. The report noted that data systems and digital surveillance of maternal, newborn and child health indicators are continuously improved to support evidence-based decision-making and to ensure comprehensive coverage and equitable access to health services.