Pune records a sharp decline in infant and child mortality, details

Amid Pune’s busy roads, rising skylines, and endless rush, a quieter change is unfolding. Across the city’s maternity wards and children’s hospitals, a life-saving transformation is underway.

 

The numbers underline the scale of the change. Infant deaths in Pune have fallen from 843 in 2021 to 300 in 2025. During the same period, the Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) dropped from 16.81 to 5.62 deaths per 1,000 live births. In a rapidly growing city marked by migrant settlements, overcrowded neighbourhoods, and uneven healthcare access, the decline represents a major public health achievement. 

 

 

“Although Pune has seen encouraging improvement in child survival rates, several deaths can still be avoided with timely intervention,” said Dr Nina Borade, head of PMC’s health department. “The focus is now on communities that continue to remain outside regular healthcare access, including migrant labour settlements and low-immunisation clusters.”

 

 

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Areas such as Bhavani Peth, Yerawada, Kasba Peth, and migrant settlements near construction sites emerged as priority zones where maternal and child health indicators remained weak. These localities often faced delayed pregnancy registration, irregular antenatal check-ups, poor nutrition, and gaps in immunisation coverage.

 

 

 

To address this, the PMC strengthened its maternal healthcare strategy at multiple levels. The civic body is now working towards ensuring 100% antenatal registration during the first trimester while linking pregnant women more effectively with schemes such as the Reproductive and Child Health portal, Janani Suraksha Yojana, Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram, and Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyaan (PM Safer Motherhood Mission).

 

Under the Safer Motherhood Mission, pregnant women in the second and third trimesters are given a special free health check-up on the 9th of every month. In this mission, free blood test, urine test, blood pressure test, haemoglobin test, and sonography test are done for the said pregnant woman.

 

Presently, the above 5 check-ups are also done along with the health care of pregnant women in Pune city through 19 UCHCs (maternity centres) and 77 UPHCs (dispensaries) of the Corporation.

 

The PMC also focused on improving care during and immediately after childbirth, which is a critical window for both mothers and newborns. Municipal hospitals are being equipped with round-the-clock skilled staff and specialist support, while postnatal home visits by ASHA workers within 48 hours of delivery are being intensified, particularly among urban poor and migrant families.

 

One of the most important changes has been the civic body’s increasing use of health surveillance and data integration. Information from municipal health records, private hospitals, Health Management Information System databases, and Integrated Child Development Services records is now being combined to identify neonatal deaths, malnutrition clusters, and low-vaccination pockets more accurately.

  

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The causes behind infant mortality also reveal where PMC has concentrated its efforts. According to the civic body’s death audit committee, 58% of infant deaths in 2025-26 were linked to specific medical conditions, while sepsis accounted for 17%, complications arising from prematurity 14%, and birth asphyxia 9%. Many of these conditions can be managed through timely neonatal care, skilled monitoring, and early intervention.

 

The PMC has simultaneously intensified ward-level micro-immunisation drives, outreach programmes in slums and construction-site settlements, and mobile vaccination services through the Niramay organisation. Urban primary health centres are also being strengthened with improved availability of ORS, zinc, antibiotics, and better child-health protocol training for staff.

 

Child mortality in the one-to-five age group has also improved over the longer term. While deaths rose from 121 in 2024 to 145 in 2025, the broader trend still reflects a 58% decline in the child mortality rate since 2021. Pneumonia, febrile seizures, and diarrhoea continue to remain key concerns, especially in vulnerable communities with inconsistent healthcare access.