Anaemia

AAnaemia is still a menace, know Govt’s schemes to save women & children in thousands

Anaemia is widespread in India owing to various reasons ranging from general disregard to health issues to poverty to educational backwardness, causing a significant percentage of maternal deaths in the country. It is also an associate cause in many more maternal deaths further caused by haemorrhage, septicemia, and eclampsia. As per recently released National Family Health Survey-V data, 52.2% of pregnant women in the age group of 15-49 years are estimated to be anaemic in India. If WHO estimates are to be believed, globally 42% of children less than 5 years of age and 40% of pregnant women are anaemic.

The disturbing effects are not restricted here only, but anaemia in pregnant ladies also causes low birth weight among babies, putting millions of children at risk for lifelong issues involving poor cognitive development and deficient physical growth. These shocking pictures are enough to understand how serious public health problem anaemia is for the country.

The condition of having a lower than a normal number of red blood cells or quantity of haemoglobin is called anaemia. A diet not containing enough iron, folic acid or vitamin B12, becomes a common cause of anaemia. Some other conditions that may lead to anaemia include pregnancy, heavy periods, blood disorders or cancer, inherited disorders and infectious diseases. Anemia can be mild, moderate, or severe, however in any case it causes harm to the human body and mind and could also be understood from the symptoms including fatigue, weakness, dizziness and drowsiness.

Moreover, the human body needs oxygen to make energy and carry out all kinds of functions and the lack of oxygen in the blood can damage our vital organs like the heart, brain, and others. It can make people feel tired, cold, dizzy, irritable and short of breath among other precarious symptoms.

National Family Health Survey

National Family Health Survey 2019- 20 released earlier in March,2022, suggests that this condition of being anemic is the most prevalent in the Himalayan cold desert. Here, it is important to understand that being a state subject, state governments and UT governments are primarily responsible for strengthening health care system and services including the implementation of health-related national programmes.

Anaemia is widespread

During the National Family Health Survey (NHFS) for preparing the result factsheets recently released for 22 states and UTs, anaemia testing was done among children aged 6 to 59 months and among women and men aged 15 to 49 years of age. Surprisingly, more than half the children and women were found to be anaemic with 15 states and UTs having more than half the children being anaemic. Similarly, more than 50% women have been found anaemic in 14 of these states and UTs. The proportion of anaemic children and women is comparatively lower in Lakshadweep, Kerala, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram and Nagaland, and higher in Ladakh, Gujarat, Jammu and Kashmir and West Bengal among others. Among men anaemia was less than 30% in the majority of the states and UTs.

Government of India steps in

However, considering the grim reality of the situation, Government of India has taken several concrete steps to tackle the situation in all identified groups, especially in pregnant women. National Health Mission (NHM), a flagship scheme of the Government, provides financial and technical support to States and Union Territories for implementation of ‘Anaemia Mukt Bharat Strategy’ as proposed by them also in their annual Programme Implementation Plans. Ascertaining the condition of pregnant women in the country, the Centre has taken various innovative steps to improve their health conditions.