Keeping in view the mantra of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s “Healthy India, Rich India”, the Gujarat government under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel has ensured that every mother and every child of the state get quality health services from the beginning of life, which is in line with the theme “Healthy start, hopeful future”.
This theme of World Health Day 2025 focuses on maternal and newborn health, which aims to empower women’s rights and increase investment in maternal and child health services. In this direction, the Gujarat government has taken many innovative and influential initiatives, making it one of the leading states of the country in the field of maternal and child health.
50% reduction in maternal mortality
The Gujarat government has gained a significant reduction of 50% in maternal mortality with its focused efforts for maternal health improvement. The maternal mortality rate (MMR) of Gujarat, which was 112 in the year 2011-13, has come down to 57 according to the data released in 2020. Let us tell you that every year in Gujarat, more than 14 lakh pregnant women are provided with quality testing, vaccination and nutrition services. Gujarat has established 121 First Referral Units (FRUS), 153 blood storage units and 20 maternal ICUs to strengthen maternal and child health services, so that timely and safe treatment can be ensured in emergency. As a result, the state has achieved 99.97% institutional delivery rate, which is an example at the national level.
Effect of HBNC, HBYC and SNCU programs
According to the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGS), the state government is working towards the target of bringing infant mortality in a single digit by 2030. As a result of these efforts, the infant mortality rate (IMR) in Gujarat has come down from 54 per 1,000 living births in 2005 to 23 in 2020, showing a significant decline of 57.40%. Major initiatives like Home-Bed Newbourne Care (HBNC) and Home-Based Young Child Care (HBYC) have played an important role behind this achievement. In addition, along with campaigns such as saans and stop diarrhea, Gujarat’s strong newborn care system including 58 special newborn care units (SNCUs), 138 newborn stabilization units (NBSUs), and 1,083 newborn care corners (NBCCs) have also contributed significantly in achieving this target.
Sh-Rbsk and Breaking The Silence Campaign
Under Gujarat’s major scheme SH-RBSK (School Health National Child Health Program), more than 1.61 crore children in the state are investigated every year through 992 mobile health teams and 28 district preliminary intervention centers. As of January 2025, 206 kidneys, 37 liver and 211 bone marrow transplant have been successfully conducted under this initiative. In addition, 20,981 children have been provided kidney related, 11,215 cancer, and 1,67,379 children have been provided free treatment for cardiovascular diseases.
Similarly, under the SH-RBSK, the “Breaking the Silence” campaign of the Gujarat government provides free cochlear implant surgery to children suffering from serious hearing loss. So far, the hearing capacity of 3,260 children has been brought back through this campaign, which was made possible by the state government with the support of ₹ 228 crore. In February 2025, the Health Department of Gujarat was awarded two prestigious Gold SKOCH Awards for excellence in the field of child health.
Digital revolution in the field of child health
Significantly, Gujarat is the first state in the country which issues digital health card reports to school students. So far, more than 1.15 crore digital health cards have been issued. These digital health cards safely accumulate complete information related to health checkup and treatment of each student, which ensures continuous and overall monitoring of children’s health. Strengthening its leading role in the field of child health, Gujarat has also secured the first place in the category of big states in the category of big states between 2019 and 2023 in the category of large states in their effective management.