[...]... Improvement of maternal and child survival and health is of great importance for national socio-economic development l While maternal and child health in China has been continuously improving, it is lagging behind the economic development of the country The decline of infant and child mortality is slowing down, and great disparities in m aternal and child health exist between urban and rural populations, and. .. Two China MCH: Context and Challenges s China has the largest population of women and children in the world In 2 005 the population of women in China was 630 million, and children, aged 0-14, reached 260 million Since the founding of the People ’ Republic of China, maternal and child s survival has greatly improved Due to socio-economic, cultural and even physiological factors, like many countries in. .. dropped from 18.0% in 1992 to 7.8% in 2002; the coverage of immunization maintained a rate of over 85% since the 1990s and the vaccination of infants and young children reached 88% (four vaccines); polio free status has been maintained since 1994; and systematic management of the health of children under 3 increased from 43% in 1992 to 74% in 2004 8 Women, especially those of childbearing age, have enjoyed... conducive to maternal and infant health Capacity building of service providers remains deficient With China reform and s development in health structure, the number and quality of health professiona ls has increased remarkably The Regulations on Nurses Management in China and the Law on Practitioners in China have played a positive role in strengthening and standardiz ing the management of health teams... the first half of the 21st century In response to the current situation, the Ministry of Health has invited UNICEF, WHO and UNFPA to jointly conduct a comprehensive review of China s maternal and child survival in order to provide appropriate policy recommendations for prioritizing maternal and child health in planning for social development This will enable China to achieve the MDGs and its own national... of women and children In 1994, the Standing Committee of the National People ’ Congress issued the Law on s Maternal and Infant Health care in China, which is the first law that aims to protect the health of women and children in China It has clear regulations concerning pre-marriage healthcare, antenatal and neonatal healthcare, providing China MCH a s legal guarantee Subsequently, the Ministry of. .. realization of China maternal and child survival strategies and the MDGs s Since China reformed and opened its doors to the outside world, its achievements in MCH have been impressive , but disparities still exist between urban and rural areas and across regions and population groups and these are becoming more prominent In 2004, MMR in rural areas was 3 2 times that in urban areas; MMR in in land and remote... ii Maternal and child mortality rates in China are at the global intermediate level and are far behind those in many developed and relatively developed countries China is also behind some other developing countries that are at or below China level of s economic development The decline of the infant mortality rate (IMR) is slowing down Neonatal mortality, which accounts for 63.9% of the U5MR in China, ... opportunities to share and replicate experiences that resulted in positive outcomes 10 l Conduct in- depth research on the prevalence of diseases specific to women and children, injuries in children, and social problems such as gender -based violence 11 PART II Joint Review of the Maternal and Child Survival Strategy in China Policy Report In every country and region around the world, women and children account... respectively in remote areas iii Great disparities in access to health services exist between urban and rural populations, and among different regions in China The reduction in maternal and child mortality rates has now levelled off, and the rates in remote rural areas are 3 to 7 times higher than those in urban areas Rural areas type II and III account for 70% of all maternal and child deaths in China Marginalized . the Ministry of Health in collaboration with UNICEF, WHO and UNFPA, has conducted a joint review of the maternal and child survival strategies in China. . PART I Joint Review of the Maternal and Child Survival Strategy in China Synopsis I. Purpose and background China has the largest population of women