Six lakh babies are born with birth anomalies annually in India
One in 44 children is affected
India lacks a National Birth Anomalies Registry
BIND forum launched on March 2, 2026 in New Delhi
Smile Train India and Birth Defects Research Foundation spearheading initiative
Experts call for urgent surveillance, early detection, and policy reform
Nearly six lakh babies are born with congenital anomalies in India every year, affecting roughly one in 44 children, health experts revealed this week while highlighting the absence of a dedicated national tracking system.
Despite the scale of the burden, India does not have a comprehensive National Birth Anomalies Registry to systematically record cases, monitor trends, or guide policy intervention. Experts say this data gap weakens planning, early detection efforts, and long-term care strategies.
Medical experts estimate that around 600,000 babies are born with birth anomalies in India each year. Congenital conditions now contribute significantly to infant and child mortality as deaths due to infectious diseases continue to decline.
Birth anomalies include congenital heart defects, cleft lip and palate, spina bifida, Down syndrome, and hearing or vision impairments. Many of these conditions are treatable or manageable if diagnosed early, yet uneven screening systems limit timely intervention.
India accounts for nearly 16 percent of global deaths linked to congenital anomalies, reflecting both its population size and systemic healthcare gaps.
To address the crisis, Smile Train India and the Birth Defects Research Foundation launched the Birth Anomalies Network of India forum on March 2 and 3, 2026, at the India Habitat Centre in New Delhi.
The newly formed forum aims to:
Raise nationwide awareness about birth anomalies
Advocate for early diagnosis and integrated long-term care
Push for the establishment of a National Birth Anomalies Registry
Strengthen collaboration among clinicians, researchers, and policymakers
Mamta Carroll, Vice President and Regional Director, Asia at Smile Train, said birth anomalies have remained under-recognized in public discourse and require urgent attention at policy and community levels.
Dr. Anita Kar of the Birth Defects Research Foundation stressed that without structured national surveillance, India cannot build effective prevention and management strategies.
Experts at the forum emphasized that a National Birth Anomalies Registry would:
Generate standardized, reliable data across states
Identify preventable risk factors
Improve health resource allocation
Support early detection and referral systems
Strengthen maternal and newborn health planning
Currently, congenital anomalies are not uniformly recorded across public and private health systems, resulting in fragmented and incomplete data.
MedBound Times connected with Dr. Munish Kumar Raizada, MD FAAP (Neonatologist). Dr. Munish explained the terminology as well as the causes for the anomalies and deaths.
Congenital malformations or congenital anomalies are structural or functional defects present at birth.
India has one of the highest burdens of this disease.
This is one of the important factors contributing to neonatal and infant mortality.
Heart defects – e.g., VSD (ventricular septal defect)
Neural tube defects (preventable by folic acid)
Cleft lip and cleft palate
Limb anomalies – e.g., syndactyly, polydactyly
Maternal factors
Advanced maternal age (can give rise to Down syndrome)
Lack of antenatal care
Malnutrition – e.g., anemia, iodine deficiency, folic acid deficiency
Environmental factors and infections
Infections – e.g., rubella, syphilis
Exposure to drugs – e.g., sodium valproate
Genetic factors
Close family marriages / consanguineous marriages (linked with autosomal recessive diseases and other congenital issues)
Health system factors
Lack of access to healthcare services
While prenatal screening can detect several anomalies, access remains inconsistent, especially outside major urban centers. Multidisciplinary care involving pediatric surgery, cardiology, audiology, rehabilitation, and long-term follow-up is not uniformly integrated into newborn health services.
Experts also highlighted the social and economic burden faced by families due to delayed diagnosis, limited access to specialized care, and lack of coordinated support systems.
Health leaders at the BIND forum urged the government to prioritize congenital anomaly surveillance within national maternal and child health frameworks. They called for stronger awareness campaigns, improved screening protocols, and the immediate creation of a centralized registry to track incidence, outcomes, and preventable causes.
With six lakh newborns affected annually and one in 44 children living with congenital conditions, experts say India can no longer afford fragmented tracking and policy inaction.
(Rh/ARC)