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Serious improvements have been recorded in the sphere of Maternal and Child Health Protection, Deputy Minister of Healthcare Sergey Khachatryan told reporters at a press conference on Friday. He informed that the infant mortality rate (aged 0-1) went down, according to the data of the National Statistical Service of Armenia (NSS). Thus, the absolute number of the death cases among infants aged 0-1 has been 325 for the 11 months of 2016 against 336 of the same period in the previous year.

Child mortality rates (0-5 years old) have plummeted to 376 cases in 11 months of the 2016 against 398 in 2015.

The deputy minister pointed out with satisfaction the positive dynamics in sex selective abortions in Armenia, specifically decline in the gap of ration
of boys and girls born in the country today with 108 boys per 100 girls which is close to the biologically normal ratio of 102-106. To note, the ration was 115-100 in 2014 that had sparked concern of the country’s healthcare sector and international organizations.

Khachatryan noted that was made possible due to number of EU-financed projects implemented in Armenia’s regions as well as awareness raising campaigns.

According to the official data, birth rates have also increased in Armenia, as the number of births amounted to 37.462 in the first 11 months of 2016,

Speaking of the maternal mortality rate Sergey Khachatryan recalled NSS data, suggesting 7 out of the 10 cases is conditioned by deceases not linked to pregnancy.

The deputy minister referred also to the adoption the reproductive healthcare improvement strategy and the relevant action plan for 2016-2020, which aims to allow broader access to reproductive health services nationwide, provide for efficient medical care and services and continuous improvement of quality and efficiency, as well as to increase the health factors-induced birth rate.