Swachh Bharat Mission May Have Saved Up to 70,000 Children's Lives Annually,

India's Swachh Bharat Mission (SBM) might have played a crucial role in preventing between 60,000 and 70,000 infant deaths each year, according to a new study published in the renowned scientific journal Nature. The research, conducted by suman Chakrabarti, Soyra Gune, Tim A. Bruckner, Julie Strominger, and Parvati Singh, is titled ‘Toilet construction under the Swachh Bharat Mission and infant mortality in India’.

Launched by prime minister Narendra Modi on october 2, 2014, SBM is the world’s largest sanitation initiative, aiming to eliminate open defecation in india by 2020. Over six years, the program constructed more than 100 million household toilets and declared over 600,000 villages open-defecation free.

The study analyzed data from 35 indian states and 640 districts over a decade (2011–2020). Findings suggest that the post-SBM era saw accelerated declines in infant and child mortality compared to previous years. The research indicates that a 10-percentage point increase in district-level toilet access following SBM is associated with a decrease in infant mortality rate (IMR) by 0.9 points and under-five mortality rate (U5MR) by 1.1 points.

The study highlights the link between improved sanitation and reduced mortality from faecal pathogen-based infections, such as diarrhea. It notes that the benefits of SBM could be enhanced by integrating comprehensive healthcare services with sanitation efforts, emphasizing the need for similar initiatives in other low- and middle-income countries.
For more interesting updates wa click and follow Indiaherald WhatsApp channel

Find out more:

#Swachh Bharat

Balasahana Suresh

05/09/2024 04:09 PM