Identify the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) that are related to health. Discuss the success of the actions taken by the Government for achieving the same.

Health-related MDGs

Of the eight Millennium Development Goals (2000–2015), three directly concerned health: MDG 4 — reduce under-five mortality by two-thirds; MDG 5 — reduce maternal mortality by three-quarters and achieve universal reproductive-health access; and MDG 6 — combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and tuberculosis. MDG 1 (halving hunger, tracked through child underweight) and MDG 7's water-and-sanitation target were closely allied to health outcomes.

Government actions

• The National Rural Health Mission (2005) strengthened primary care through ASHAs, Rogi Kalyan Samitis and untied facility funds.
• Janani Suraksha Yojana incentivised institutional deliveries, which rose sharply after 2005.
• The Universal Immunisation Programme and Pulse Polio delivered results: India's last polio case occurred in 2011, WHO certified the South-East Asia region polio-free in 2014, and maternal and neonatal tetanus was eliminated in 2015.
• The National AIDS Control Programme reversed the HIV epidemic; RNTCP expanded DOTS coverage for tuberculosis.

Assessment

• MDG 6 was broadly achieved — new HIV infections and malaria mortality declined.
• MDG 4 was narrowly missed: under-five mortality fell by nearly two-thirds, from 126 (1990) to the mid-40s per 1,000 by 2015, against the target of 42.
• MDG 5 fell short: MMR declined from 556 (1990) to 167 (SRS 2011–13) against the target of 109.

Conclusion

India achieved historic declines yet missed the maternal and child targets, with wide inter-State gaps. The unfinished agenda passed to SDG 3, under which MMR has since fallen below 100 (97 in SRS 2018–20) and child survival continues to improve.