India

The newborn health challenge faced by India is bigger than that experienced by any other country. As India makes progress in addressing childhood illnesses, reducing newborn deaths remains a critical challenge, making up a growing percentage of child deaths. 

Today, India accounts for the greatest burden of newborn deaths in the world. An estimated 908,000 newborns die each year in India alone (2009 estimates) – accounting for 28% of the total global burden of neonatal deaths and and a staggering 55% of under-5 deaths in India.

In July 2011, the Government of India made a momentous decision that places the country at a crucial stage for saving the lives of millions of mothers and newborns. Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) will now receive an incentive payment to conduct routine home-based newborn care.

Why is this important? Promoting newborn care at home recognizes a body of evidence that has developed over the past 15 years - evidence which suggests that this new policy has the potential to make a game-changing impact on neonatal as well as maternal mortality.