In survey report, some cheer and some concern
If data released by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare is anything to go by,there is good news as far as the health of the nation is concerned. While material from the fourth National Family Health Survey is a combination of good, bad and worrisome, overall the figures are surprisingly cheerful, coming after a gap of 10 years and bringing some heartwarming results on the table. For instance, there has been a sharp decline in infant mortality rate (IMR) by about 16 points in the past 10 years. From 54 deaths per 1,000 live births in 2005-06, the ratio came down to 41 deaths per live births in 2015-16. Though the numbers are not rosy as compared to global standards — which stands at IMR 27 — there is the sign of progress. Some laudable figures have also come from sex ratio at birth. It saw a slight improvement from 914 females to 1,000 males in 2005-06 to 919 females to 1,000 males in 2015-16. Critical among them is the State of Haryana, which has successfully reversed its appalling record. Its sex ratio at birth has crossed the 900-mark for the first time in a decade. In that period, it also took a significant leap from 762 in 2005 to 836 in 2015-16. Haryana's success is not an overnight development. The poor sex ratio had been a matter of concern for successive Governments and over the years, many state and non-state agencies strove hard to save the girl child, even if with varying degrees of commitment and success. Crucial among them was the step take by the Manohar lal Khattar Government to prohibit sex determination tests. Infertility rate too has come down to 2.2, which is just a point less from the replacement level of 2.1. Additionally, the country's vaccination programmes have seen success as immunisation coverage across the country saw a sharp rise from 44 per cent in 2005-06 to 70 per cent in 2015-16. Such encouraging figures point towards a change in the approach of the Government in terms of increased allocation, which has been backed by sound policies.
The flip side, however, is that while India's children and women have fared better, they have also brought some worrying news. As per the report, family planning declined further in the last 10 years. Anaemia figures among children remain stagnant at 60 per cent. In today's time, just about half of all women of reproductive age use contraceptive methods. Also, India's obesity problem is on the rise, with about one in three urban women and one in four men being obese. In contrast to international standing, India ranks as low as 112 of the 190 countries in healthcare. Moreover, our country spends just 1.3 per cent of its GDP on healthcare, as compared to international spending of 5.9 per cent. Most Government hospitals are in a state of apathy — they are short of trained doctors, and lack infrastructure. Thus, there is enough in the survey findings to keep Indian policymakers on their toes.