Two million children die in India every year, says charity

According to an international charity, two million children die in India every year and over 60 percent of them die in the first 28 days of birth.

On the eve of World Health Day, Save The Children, a charity group working for the welfare of children, said most of these deaths are caused by diseases like diarrhoea, pneumonia, malaria, measles and pre- and post-natal complications.

It urged the Indian government to maintain its promise to reduce child morality by two-thirds by 2015.

"India is lagging dangerously behind its commitments. Even Bangladesh has succeeded in reducing its child mortality up to a great deal and fares better than India," IANS quoted Shireen Vakil Miller, director of advocacy and planning of Save the Children, as saying.

"This is outrageous when these deaths can be easily averted," Ms. Miller added.

65 percent of the child deaths happen in - Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar and Orissa.

"Over half of these deaths can be be avoided if children were better nourished, a large segment of which could be reduced if anaemia in women was tackled and immediate and exclusive breastfeeding was ensured," Miller said.

Meanwhile, the Indian government has announced the launching of five mobile hospitals that can be established at any calamity hit region within a short span of six hours.

"The need for mobile hospital was first felt during the Gujarat earthquake of 2001. The need for this service was also felt as over 3,000 health facilities had been destroyed, which made it difficult to provide medical aid to the injured," Dr. Shakti Gupta, the member of the steering committee of the National Disaster Management Committee (NDMC) under the Home Ministry, said.

One mobile hospital would cost Rs. 300 million, Gupta said.