The Indian government is collaborating with the World Health Organisation (WHO) to combat anaemia, which affects more than 50 per cent of all pregnant women in India.
"According to newly released National Family Health Survey V data, 52.2 per cent pregnant women in India in the age group of 15-49 years are expected to be anaemic," Dr Bharati Pravin Pawar, minister of state for health and family welfare, told Parliament on Tuesday.
She said that the problem is widespread across the country, with the greatest rates in Ladakh, Bihar, and Gujarat, at 78.1 per cent, 63.1 per cent, and 62.6 per cent, respectively. Lakshadweep, Nagaland, and Arunachal Pradesh, on the other hand, have the lowest percentages at 20.9 per cent, 22.9 per cent, and 27.9 per cent, respectively.
Dr Pawar briefed Parliament on the government's efforts to address the issue. "The government announced the 'Anaemia Mukt Bharat' policy in 2018 with the goal of reducing anaemia in women, children, and adolescents," she explained.
Multiple measures are part of the mission, including digital anaemia testing, addressing non-nutritional causes of anaemia, and treating severe anaemia in pregnant women with IV iron sucrose or blood transfusions.
The survey's findings suggest a 1.8 per cent increase in the number of pregnant women who are anaemic in the 15-49 year age group between 2015-16 and 2019-2021.