PIONEER EDGE NEWS SERVICE/ Dehradun
The findings of the National Family Health Survey-VI (NFHS-VI) reveal that Uttarakhand has shown progress in several key indicators related to maternal health, neonatal health, nutrition and non-communicable diseases.
The survey shows that the registration rate of pregnant women in the first trimester has increased from 68.8 per cent to 80.6 per cent. Antenatal check-up (ANC) coverage has increased from 91.8 per cent to 98.3 per cent. Similarly the institutional deliveries have increased from 83.2 per cent to 88.9 per cent. Availability of postnatal care to mothers within two days of delivery has increased from 78 per cent to 86.5 per cent.
The findings show that the rate of new-borns receiving postnatal care within two days of birth has increased from 78.9 per cent to 86.7 per cent and child vitamin A supplementation has increased from 53.7 per cent to 59.9 per cent. Similarly the rate of children aged six to 23 months receiving adequate nutrition has increased from 12.2 per cent to 19.2 per cent.
The State has also made significant progress in the area of vaccination. The percentage of children fully vaccinated has increased from 81.1 to 86 . The percentage of children receiving the second dose of measles vaccine has increased from 71.3 to 83.2 and the number of children receiving all three doses of rotavirus vaccine has increased from 32.3 per cent to 92.8 per cent.
Positive improvements have also been seen in indicators related to malnutrition. Stunting among children has decreased from 27 per cent to 20 per cent in the State. The survey also paints a positive progress in the sector of non-communicable diseases. The percentage of women with high blood pressure has declined from 22.9 to 14.5 per cent and from 31.8 to 18.3 per cent among men.
Expressing happiness at the survey findings, the Health and Medical Education minister Subodh Uniyal stated that this achievement demonstrates the State government’s commitment to maternal, newborn, child and community health. He stated that the government is continuously working to ensure respectful, quality and timely healthcare services reach every citizen.
