Tamil Nadu’s higher order birth — a woman having three or more live children — has been brought down to 7.2% in 2019 from 10.6% in 2010, Minister for Medical and Family Welfare Ma. Subramanian said on Sunday.
At an event organised by the Directorate of Family Welfare to observe World Population Day, he said the State was a pioneer in implementing family welfare schemes in the country.
The State’s current population was 8.4 crore. As per 2018, the State’s total fertility rate was 1.6%, while the national TFR stood at 2.2%, he said. The Minister said maternal mortality ratio for 2016-2018 was 60 per one lakh live births, while the infant mortality rate was 15 per 1,000 live births in 2018.
He said every year 2.55 lakh women underwent sterilisation. Newer contraceptives, such as Antara (injectable contraceptive) and Chhaya (an oral contraceptive pill), were being used.
He said family welfare services were available at 13,866 medical facilities, including government health sub-centres, primary health centres, government hospitals, government medical college hospitals and authorised private hospitals.
He said the construction of 11 new government medical colleges had been expedited. He said they were planning to meet the new Union Health Minister in New Delhi in two or three days.
Sholinganallur MLA S. Aravind Ramesh, Director of Indian Medicine and Homoeopathy S. Ganesh, Director of Family Welfare V.P. Harisundari and Joint Director of Family Welfare S. Amudha were present.
