Economic Survey 2023 discussed the accomplishments of India's healthcare and nutritional programmes
According to the pre-budget Survey, the government places a high focus on providing citizens with access to high-quality healthcare. Numerous multifaceted programmes, including Mission Indradhanush, Pradhan Mantri TB Mukt Bharat, COVID-19 Vaccination Programme, and Ayushman Digital Mission, have been launched and are being carried out for the benefit of the public in order to achieve this goal.
The Government has made concerted efforts to engage with all key sectors and stakeholders as part of the National Health Mission in order to advance the goals of obtaining universal health coverage and providing high-quality healthcare services to all at reasonable prices.
The Economic Survey notes that India has one of the largest healthcare systems in the world. The most recent National Family Health Survey (NFHS) report demonstrates how some significant health-related indicators have improved as a result of a successful health approach:
a) Births in institutions rose from 78.9% in 2015–16 to 88.6% in 2019–2021.
b) From 2015–16 to 2019–2021, the rate of neonatal death (per 1000 live births) declined from 29.5 to 24.9.
c) Under-five mortality rate (per 1000 live births) decreased from 41.9 in NFHS 5 e to 41.9 in NFHS 4 (2015-16), while infant mortality rate (per 1000 live births) decreased from 40.7 in NFHS 4 (2015-16) to 35.2 in NFHS 5 d. According to data from vaccination cards or mothers' recalls, the percentage of children aged 12-to-23 months who are fully immunised increased from 62.0% in 2016 to 76.4 in 2021. exclusively breastfed infants under the age of six also had an increase from 54.9% in 2016 to 63.7% in 2021.
Regarding malnutrition, Stunted children under the age of five (tall for age) saw an improvement as the proportion of kids in this category fell from 38.4% in NFHS-4 to 35.5% in NHFS-5. Underweight children under the age of five saw a decline from 35.8% to 32.1% between NFHS-4 and NFHS-5, while wasting children under the age of five had a decrease from 21.0% to 19.3% (weight-for-height).
The survey found that, according to the Sample Registration System (SRS) data, India had successfully met the key milestone of reducing the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) from 130 per lakh live births in 2014–16 to 97 per lakh live births in 2018–20 by 2020, as stipulated in the National Health Policy of 2017. The SDG aim to lower MMR to less than 70 per lakh live births by 2030 was further said to have been met by eight states. These are Karnataka (69), Jharkhand (56), Gujarat (57), Kerala (19), Maharashtra (33), Telangana (43) and Andhra Pradesh (45).
Economic Survey also stated that school dropout rates have steadily decreased in recent years across all grade levels. Both boys and girls are experiencing a drop. A significant part of increasing student enrollment and retention in schools is played by programmes like Samagra Shiksha, the Right to Education Act, improvements to school infrastructure and facilities, residential hostel buildings, teacher availability, regular teacher training, free textbooks, uniforms for kids, Kasturba Gandhi Balika Vidyalaya, and the PM Poshan Scheme. According to the report, basic amenities like hand-washing stations, drinking water, and separate restrooms for boys and girls in schools improved in 2022 compared to earlier years. Water supply and sanitation in schools ihave been made possible due to Swachh Bharat Mission and Samagra Shiksha Scheme.