Swasth Report Card: One Of The Healthiest States Of India, There Are Two Sides To Tamil Nadu’s Health Story

One of the healthiest state of the country, Tamil Nadu saw a decline in its performance as per the government’s think-tank Niti Ayog’s health index report, slipping from third rank to ninth rank, here are some quick status of a some health parameters of the state

Written By: Aishwarya Upadhyay | Edited By: Sonia Bhaskar |

November 10, 2019

Swasth Report Card: One Of The Healthiest States Of India, There Are Two Sides To Tamil Nadu’s Health Story

New Delhi: Tamil Nadu is one of the best performing states when it comes to health indicators in India, however, in the recent Health Index Report by NITI Aayog, the state scored a good ninth rank but compared to its earlier rank 3 in the previous year, it is a decline. The report in question is tittled ‘Healthy States Progressive India’ which factored in 23 indicators such as stunting and infant mortality, under-five mortality rate, mental health or illnesses, among others.

According to the report, the State’s “most deteriorated” indicators are – proportion of low birth weight among newborns, integrated disease surveillance programme reporting, proportion of community health centres (CHC) with a grading of four points and more, to list a few.

The performance of Tamil Nadu, as per the report, also declined in full immunisation coverage, institutional deliveries, tuberculosis case notification and treatment success rate, vacancies of medical officers in Public Health Centres and percentage of functional 24/7 Public Health Centres. The State made negative incremental progress (-2.97) from 2015-16 to 2017-18, bringing itself under the category of ‘Not Improved’ States. This incremental performance measures the change in health index score from base year (2015-16) to reference year (2017-18) on the basis of the progress made.

Also Read: 68 Per Cent Of Child Deaths Under Five Years In India Caused By Malnutrition In 2017: Study

Here’s a look at Tamil Nadu’s health statistics in various parameters:

Infant Mortality Rate: The Infant mortality rate (deaths before the age of one year) in Tamil Nadu saw a decline of about 33 per cent, as per the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) 4. The report recorded 20 deaths per 1,000 live births in NFHS 4 (2015-16), down from 30 in NFHS 3 (2005-06). This is better than the national average of IMR at 41 deaths per 1000 lives in 2015-16.
Under-Five Mortality Rate (U5MR): Tamil Nadu’s under-five mortality rate (children dying under the age of five), as per NFHS 4, is at 27 deaths per 1000 live births whereas the national average for under five mortality rate for the same period is 50 deaths per 1000 live births.
The status of infant and under-five mortality rate in Tamil Nadu
Malnutrition: The state has also witnessed a slight decline of 6 per cent in the cases of children under 5 years who are underweight, dropping to 23.8 per cent OF those surveyed in 2015-16, from 29.8 per cent in 2005-06. In comparison the national average for underweight children under 5 is higher at 35.8 per cent in 2015-16. On the other hand, Tamil Nadu saw a 2.5 per cent reduction in the cases of wasting of children (low weight for height), at 19.7 per cent in NFHS 4, down from 22.2 per cent in NFHS 3. The national average for wasting cases is higher at 21 percent in NFHS 4. Tamil Nadu saw a minor 3.8 per cent decrease in the cases of stunting in children below the age of 5, as per NFHS 4. The state had 27.1 per cent cases of stunting in 2015-16, a decrease of xx percent from 30.9 percent in 2005-06. This is lower than the national average of stunting recorded at 38.4 per cent in 2015-2016 as per the NFHS 4.
The status of malnutrition among children in Tamil Nadu
Anaemia Among Children And Women: Tamil Nadu saw a 13.5 per cent decline in Anaemia cases among children surveyed in NFHS 3, FROM 64.2 percent 50.7 per cent IN NFHS 4. When it comes to the women aged 15-49, the state saw a minor decline of 1.8 per cent, from 55 per cent (NFHS 3) to 53.2 per cent of the women surveyed in NFHS 4.
The status of aneamia among women and children in Tamil Nadu
Diarrhoea Cases And Death: According to National Health Profile 2018 report, there were just nine Diarrhoeal disease deaths in Tamil Nadu in 2016, whereas in 2017 it came down by 77.8 per cent, to just two. Out of the total cases of Diarrhoea in India (1,29,27,212), Tamil Nadu contributed 3.15 per cent with 4,07,678 diarrhoea cases as compared to 3,69,325 in 2016.