- Around 6 lakh children may be born each year in India with congenital anomalies
- Congenital heart disease may affect 1 in 160 pregnancies; over 1 lakh children may be affected with congenital heart defects each year
- India contributes to 28% of global neonatal mortality due to congenital anomalies
- NSSO data reports that there were 5.5 million Indians surviving with disabilities caused by birth defects in 2002; the number could be as high as 8 million in 2014
- Services for care and support are limited or unavailable
- PSYCHOSOCIAL COUNSELLING AND SUPPORT SERVICES ARE A PRIORITY as birth defects cause enormous distress to parents