KEMEROVO, June 2. /TASS/. Infant mortality in Russia reached 4.5 per 1,000 children who were born alive in 2020, and in the past 15 years, this figure has been halved, Russian Deputy Health Minister Oleg Salagay said during a plenary session of the Vector of Childhood National Forum in Kemerovo.
"The infant mortality rate for 2020 reached 4.5 per 1,000 babies born alive. This is much fewer than the planned figure for this period, and it is a record low figure for our country. Historically speaking, the infant mortality rate has dropped by over a half since 2006. Back then, it reached 10.2," Salagay said.
The Russian Health Ministry has also noted improvements in the mortality rate among children under 17. This figure has also dropped by over a half in the past 15 years.
The first Vector of Childhood National Forum is being held in Russia’s Kemerovo on June 1-2. It is timed to coincide with the International Day for Protection of Children, held on the initiative of the Russian commissioner for children’s rights with the support of the Ministry of Industry and Trade and the government of the Kemerovo Region. The forum is dedicated to current matters of state policy in the sphere of protection and support of family and childhood, which includes forming a digital education sphere, developing an inclusive education system, developing children’s sports and producing Russian-made goods for children.