A shocking revelation in the National Family Health Survey - 90% of women and children in 12 states fell victim to anemia - the government conducted the survey in two phases, but both phases showed little improvement in women's and children's health.
Although crores of rupees are being spent every year by the central government and various state governments to improve the health of children and women, no significant results have been seen as diseases like anemia are still a major concern for women and children in the country. The National Family Health Survey (NFHS) recently made a shocking revelation that more than 60 per cent of women and children in 12 states and Union Territories have contracted anemia.
The central government on Wednesday released a report at the national level and in 16 states and union territories showing key indicators for the country's population, child health, family welfare and nutrition. The report was linked to the second phase of the 2017-20 National Family Health Survey. The states surveyed in the second phase included Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Haryana, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Orissa, Puducherry, Punjab, Rajasthan, Tamil Nadu, Uttar Pradesh and Uttarakhand, according to the Ministry of Health. The statement said.
Outbreaks of anemia in women and children were also reported at the national level in 19 states. National level statistics were calculated based on data obtained in the first and second phases of the National Family Health Survey. In the first phase, in December 2020, the National Family Health Survey was conducted in 7 States and Union Territories.
According to the survey, child nutrition indicates that there has been a slight improvement in the physical development of babies at the national level as the percentage has dropped from 5 per cent to 5 per cent earlier, while there has been a slight improvement in the weight of children. Earlier, the percentage was 21 which improved slightly to 12 and in case of low birth weight of children, there was a slight improvement of 3% as it was 3% earlier which was reduced to 6. However, in both the phases, the situation regarding child nutrition in the two states and the Union Territory was found to be improving, the health ministry said in a statement. However, during both of these surveys, pregnant women were given iron and folic acid tablets by the government for 150 days, but the problem of anemia remained, and there was no improvement in hemoglobin deficiency in children.
