India must increase health allocation

New Delhi, Feb 21 (UNI) Notwithstanding the high economic growth and reduction in poverty level, the overall health indicators of women and children have not improved in the country reflecting the lack of adequate investments and importance to their issues, according to experts.

Sharing the details of the National Family Health Survey, experts from UNICEF and National Advisory Committee said the survey has revealed that India has made negligible or tardy progress as far as health and nutrition of women and children are concerned.

''Though programmes like the National Rural Health Mission, Integrated Child Development Scheme and Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan indicated the government is aware of the problem and taken some steps, the dismal progress revealed in NFHS-III data indicated that the policymakers were not taking it as the National Priority,''said Prof Shiv Kumar of the Institute of Human Development and member National Advisory Committee.

He emphasised the need for increasing the public spending on health sector to increase from less than one per cent at present to at least 3 per cent promised by the UPA government. The budget should reflect the priority being given to women and children health and well being, he said and added more allocation efforts were needed to make the system accountable.

The NFHS-III, survey carried out by the International Institute of Population Sciences, has revealed the immunisation coverage of children in the age group of 12 to 23 months has just increased from 42 per cent in 1998-99 to 43.5 per cent in 2005-06 which was negligible. Even in the immunisation coverage there was a wide disparity with states like Uttar Pradesh having just 22.9 per cent immunisation coverage as compared to Tamil Nadu where it was 80.8 per cent, pointed out Mr R J Mittal of the UNICEF.

The most concerning fact was that eleven developed states including Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, Punjab and Haryana have shown a decline in immunization coverage upto 19.6 per cent, 12.7 per cent, 12.5 per cent and 9.2 per cent respectively. It has also declined in Tamil Nadu, Gujarat, Karnataka and Kerala. Though immunization coverage has increased in 18 states like Bihar, Jharkhand, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, it was just 32.8 per cent, 34.5 per cent, 48.7 per cent and 64.3 per cent respectively.

The survey has revealed widespread malnutrition among children as 45.9 per cent of those under 3 years were underweight. Though it was lower than 47 per cent in 1998-99, it was negligible progress. In states like Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Bihar and Chhattisgarh the proportion of underweight children was as high as 60.3 per cent , 59.2 per cent, 58.4 per cent and 52.1 per cent.

Anaemia, which is a major cause of both infant and maternal mortality and morbidity, has gone up in the country with 79.1 per cent of children being anaemic in 2005-06 from 74.2 per cent in 1998-99 while during this period the number of anaemic women has gone upto 56.2 per cent to 51.8 per cent.

''The increasing level of anaemia among women and children is a major cause of concern as it is responsible for high maternal and child mortality. This shows lack of nutrition, health care facilities and awareness among women,'' said V Schulkink of UNI