The Journey of Kerala’s Health Progress: Trends in Maternal And Child Health

Abstract

In terms of healthcare, Kerala stands out for its impressive metrics, which can be credited to an extensive set of policies, state infrastructure, and sociocultural features which improved maternal and child healthcare over the decades. The large network of hospitals and public health offices, which employ skilled manpower, have eased and improved the effectiveness of healthcare provided in the state. In addition, the high level of literacy and social awareness combined with a high social mobilization have facilitated improvement in Kerala’s health indicators. Certain policy measures’, such as immunization programs and women empowerment initiatives were bound to protect children and mothers from potential health problems. Still with these achievements, greater attention must be offered to the alarming trend of child wasting and underweight prevalence among children under five, which require prompt action to meet the nutrition and health needs of the children. Impulsive state action should be endorsed to ensure inclusive provision of safe, adequate, and culturally sensitive healthcare services to the people.