Govt releases National Family Health Survey-6

• The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) released the National Family Health Survey-6 on May 29. 

• The NFHS-6 was conducted during 2023-24 by MoHFW with the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai as the nodal agency. 

• Covering nearly 6.79 lakh households across 715 districts, the survey provides vital evidence on population, health, nutrition and family welfare indicators and supports evidence-based planning and programme implementation up to the district level.

• NFHS-6 provides critical evidence for programme implementation and policymaking across health and social sectors. 

• The findings reflect steady gains in maternal and child health, nutrition, women’s empowerment and access to essential services.

• At the same time, emerging challenges such as rising non-communicable diseases, lifestyle-related risks and the dual burden of undernutrition and rising overweight/obesity among adults highlight the need for continued focus on preventive healthcare, behavioural change and balanced nutrition strategies.

What is the purpose of NFHS?

• The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoH&FW) conducts an integrated survey namely National Family Health Survey (NFHS). 

The survey provides data on health and family welfare and associated domains like:

i) Characteristics of the population

ii) Fertility and fertility preferences

iii) Family planning

iv) Infant and child mortality

v) Maternal and child health

vi) Nutrition

vii) Morbidity and healthcare

viii) Women’s empowerment. 

• It is a nationally important source of data for the purpose of monitoring performance of health programmes/schemes of the government of India.

• Previous editions of NFHS were completed during the period 1992-93, 1998-99, 2005-06, 2015-16 and 2019-21.

Key findings of NFHS-6

• India has recorded notable progress in health, nutrition, and social development indicators, reflecting the impact of sustained policy interventions and focused implementation of flagship programmes.

1) Improved Maternal and Child Healthcare

• Institutional deliveries in India have increased from 88.6 per cent in 2019-2021 to 90.6 per cent in 2023-24.

• Institutional deliveries refer to the process of giving birth in a licensed healthcare facility under the supervision of professionals. This practice drastically reduces maternal and neonatal mortality by providing access to emergency obstetric care, hygienic conditions and specialised medical equipment. 

• About 95.9 per cent of pregnant women received antenatal care (ANC), while mothers receiving ANC in the first trimester increased from 70 per cent to 76.2 per cent.

• Mothers receiving at least four ANC visits also increased from 58.5 per cent to 65.2 per cent.

• Maternal nutrition indicators also showed notable improvement. Mothers consuming iron folic acid supplements for 100 days or more during pregnancy increased from 44.1 per cent to 54.9 per cent, while those consuming supplements for 180 days or more rose from 26.0 per cent to 37.8 per cent.

• These gains reflect strengthened public health infrastructure and improved access to maternal and child healthcare services across the country, driven by focused implementation of initiatives such as Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK), Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan, Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN), Facility Based New-born Care, Home-Based New-born Care, and Pradhan Mantri Matru Vandana Yojana (PMMVY 2.0).

2) Family Planning 

• India’s Total Fertility Rate (TFR) remains at 2.0. 

• The Contraceptive Prevalence Rate (CPR) increased from 66.7 per cent to 69.1 per cent, with focus on well-being of mother and child, thus showing improved access to family planning services to those who need it.

• These improvements underscore the continued impact of national family planning programmes, including Mission Parivar Vikas.

3) Child Immunisation 

• India continues to make strong progress towards universal immunisation coverage. 

• Full vaccination coverage among children aged 12-23 months based on vaccination cards, increased from 83.8 per cent to 87.1 per cent. 

• About 95.6 per cent of children received most vaccinations through public health facilities reaffirming the trust of community towards public healthcare system.

• Any vaccine received by children aged 12-23 months remains consistently high above 96 per cent, while substantial improvement has been recorded across major vaccines. 

• Substantial increase has been recorded in rotavirus vaccination coverage from 36.4 per cent to 85.4 per cent. 

• Coverage of the second dose of measles-containing vaccine also increased significantly from 58.6 per cent to 71.8 per cent.

• The survey also recorded improvements in key child health indicators. Prevalence of symptoms of acute respiratory infection (ARI) among children declined from 2.8 per cent to 1.9 per cent, while prevalence of severe diarrhoea also declined to 0.5 per cent.

4) Child Nutrition

• NFHS-6 indicates encouraging progress in child nutrition outcomes.

• About 95.6 per cent of children under six months of age were found to be breastfed during survey period. 

• Stunting (low height for age) among children under five years declined substantially from 35.5 per cent to 29.3 per cent, reflecting improvement in long-term nutritional outcomes. 

• The marked reduction in stunting prevalence provides strong evidence of improvement in long-term nutritional transition and child health outcomes in India.

• Severe wasting (being too thin for one’s height) declined sharply from 7.7 per cent to 5.2 per cent, while underweight prevalence in under five children also registered a marginal decline from 32.1 per cent to 31.8 per cent. 

• Improvement was also observed in infant and young child feeding practices. 

• Children aged 6-8 months receiving solid or semi-solid food along with breastmilk increased from 45.9 per cent to 59.5 per cent.

• These gains are driven by convergent efforts across Ministries through flagship initiatives such as POSHAN Abhiyaan and Saksham Anganwadi and POSHAN 2.0, supported by strengthened service delivery under ICDS. 

Complementary interventions under the National Health Mission (NHM), including maternal and child health services, Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres (NRCs), Mother’s Absolute Affection (MAA), Infant and Young Child Feeding, Iron and folic acid supplementation and growth monitoring have further contributed to improved outcomes.

5) Health Insurance

• Health insurance/financing scheme coverage has expanded significantly from 41 per cent to 60.2 per cent at the household level, reflecting the success of government-led initiatives aimed at strengthening financial protection in healthcare. 

• Flagship schemes such as Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) have played a pivotal role in increasing access to affordable healthcare services, particularly for vulnerable populations. 

• This expansion marks a critical step towards universal health coverage and equitable access to quality healthcare services across the country.

6) Women’s Empowerment and Financial Inclusion

• NFHS-6 records continued advancement in women’s digital inclusion and financial empowerment. 

• Women who had ever used the internet nearly doubled from 33.3 per cent to 64.3 per cent. 

• Women having a bank or savings account that they themselves use increased from 78.6 per cent to 89 per cent, and women having a mobile phone that they themselves use rose from 53.9 per cent to 63.6 per cent.

• The use of hygienic methods of menstrual protection among women age 15-24 years has increased from 77.6 per cent  to 79.2 per cent, supported by initiatives such as the Menstrual Hygiene Scheme (MHS) within the Rashtriya Kishor Swasthya Karyakram (RKSK) and the affordable sanitary products under the Pradhan Mantri Bhartiya Janaushadhi Pariyojana. 

• These initiatives have enhanced awareness, accessibility, and adoption of safe menstrual hygiene practices in the nation.

(The author is a trainer for Civil Services aspirants.)