‘Mission Indradhanush’, the Government immunisation programme for pregnant women and children, has been selected by an independent jury as one of the twelve best global practices for alleviating healthcare, Union Health Minister JP Nadda said here on Friday.

The Partners’ Forum summit hosted by India will bring together health officials from 85 countries on one platform to discuss maternal, child and adolescent health issues. This summit will showcase the twelve best practices of the 300 applications received from across the world.

The twelve case studies will be published in a special issue of British Medical Journal (BMJ).

India aims to immunise 90 per cent of all pregnant women and children by 2020. According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) figures, in 2015-16 this number stood at 62 per cent. An intensified drive has been started since the past two years, bringing India closer to the goals.

Success stories

“Maternal mortality in India has declined from 77 per cent in the 1990s to 44 per cent now. Under-five mortality has reduced from 126 per thousand live births to 39,” Nadda added.

Social protection policies of Chile and Germany have been lauded for success stories in Early Childhood Development. Development programmes for poor in Cambodia and Mission Indradhanush in India represent stories in quality, equity and dignity. Indonesia and the US are being showcased for best practices in adolescent health and well-being.

Malawi’s toll-free helpline and Malaysia’s universal anti-HPV vaccination coverage are being cited as the best initiatives for sexual and reproductive rights. Gautemala and South Africa’s initiatives are being cited for empowerment of women, girls and communities.

Afghanistan’s scaling up of health services in response to decades of war and instability as well as Sierra Leone’s participatory radio programme which supports Ebola-affected children and their communities are best-case examples in humanitarian and fragile settings.

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