India, Oct. 23 -- The World Bank's Board of Executive Directors today approved a new program to improve the life expectancy and quality of life for 11 million elderly and vulnerable people in the state of Kerala through wider access to health coverage and resilient health systems.Kerala has made sustained health gains for more than two decades with improved neonatal (3.4 per 1,000 live births), infant (4.4 per 1,000 live births), under-five mortality (5.2 per 1,000 live births) rates, and maternal mortality (19 per 100,000 live births) rates. This stems from high literacy rates, public health awareness as well as decentralized governance. However, a rising burden of non-communicable diseases (hypertension, diabetes, cancer) and a rapidly ag...