National Anaemia Day is celebrated on March 21 every year. Anemia is the most common deficiency disease and one of the most important nutrition-related goals worldwide. Anemia affects children and women of reproductive age the most everywhere.
Anemia is caused by various nutritional and non-nutritional factors, the most prominent of which is iron deficiency. Anemia affects more than half of India's preschool-aged children and reproductive-age women. The Indian government began anaemia prevention efforts over a half-century ago and is still fighting to reduce the prevalence of this disease.
What Is Anaemia?
The World Health Organisation (WHO) defines anaemia as a condition in which the number of red blood cells or the concentration of haemoglobin in them is lower than normal. Haemoglobin is required to carry oxygen, and if you have too few or abnormal red blood cells, or not enough haemoglobin, your blood's capacity to carry oxygen to the body's tissues will be reduced. Symptoms include fatigue, weakness, dizziness, and shortness of breath, among others. The optimal haemoglobin concentration required to meet physiologic needs varies according to age, gender, elevation, smoking habits, and pregnancy status.
According to WHO, the most common causes of anaemia include nutritional deficiencies, particularly iron deficiency, though deficiencies in folate, vitamins B12 and A are also important causes; haemoglobinopathies; and infectious diseases, such as malaria, tuberculosis, HIV and parasitic infections.
Anaemia In India:
Over half of all women and children in India are anaemic, a figure that has risen in the last three years. Anaemia declined in India, albeit marginally, between 2005 and 2015. However, the most recent National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) data show a reversal of those gains, with anaemia rates increasing from 53 per cent to 57 per cent in women and from 58 per cent to 67 per cent in children in 2019-21.
Recent Efforts In This Direction:
According to Union Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare Dr Bharti Pravin Pawar's written reply in the Rajya Sabha, the government has taken the following initiatives to eradicate anaemia:
Anaemia Mukt Bharat Programme:
The Anaemia Mukt Bharat Programme was launched by the Government of India's Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) to accelerate the decline of anaemia in various age groups by intensifying strong initiatives to further strengthen existing mechanisms and develop new ones to reduce anaemia. The National Nutritional Anaemia Prophylaxis Programme (NNAPP) was established in 1970, and the name was changed to Anaemia Mukt Bharat in 2018.
To achieve its goal of reducing anaemia under the POSHAN Abhiyan, the Anaemia Mukt Bharat programme divides its target group into six beneficiary groups through six interventions and six institutional mechanisms.
Surakshit Matritva Aashwasan (SUMAN): It provides assured, dignified, respectful, and quality healthcare at no cost to every woman and newborn visiting public health facilities, with zero tolerance for denial of services, in order to eliminate all preventable maternal and newborn deaths.
Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY): It is a demand promotion and conditional cash transfer scheme for promoting institutional delivery.
Under Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK): Under this scheme, every pregnant woman is entitled to free delivery, including caesarean section, in public health institutions along with the provision of free transport, diagnostics, medicines, other consumables & diet.
Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA): This scheme provides pregnant women with a fixed day, free of cost assured and quality antenatal check-up by a Specialist/Medical Officer on the 9th day of every month.