The National Immunization Programme implemented by the Health Ministry’s Sri Lanka Family Health Bureau has achieved 100 per cent success during the past 4 years.

The success of the programme could be attributed to effective implementation of rural and urbanized maternal and infant healthcare programmes including B.C.G. and Triple vaccination to infants, the Health Ministry said.

Healthcare Minister Nimal Siripala de Silva told The Island that the Infant Mortality rate now 9 per cent was down from 140 per 1000.

The National Immunization Programme which included B.C.G., Triple had shown 100 per cent success, 98 per cent success in Polio 3 vaccination and 98 per cent success in Measels Vaccination.

He said that Maternal Protection Rate in advanced countries was 97 per cent and the rate in Sri Lanka was currently 98 per cent and Maternal Protection for Birth in advanced countries was 99 per cent and it was 96 per cent in Sri Lanka. In most developing countries the Maternal Protection of Births remained 65 per cent, but Sri Lanka was an exception.

Minister de Silva added that between 1995 to 2005 the Maternal Mortality Rate for 100,000 births was 61, but in 2005 the mortality rate had come down to 24 for 100,000 births. The Health Ministry had taken all possible measures to encourage family

healthcare workers (midwives) to visit rural areas to examine the health status of pregnant mothers and infants. The role played by the family health workers and provision of timely medical attention to pregnant mothers should not be underestimated.