In 2018, the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) launched Anemia Mukt Bharat (AMB) strategy under POSHAN Abhiyaan with the target to reduce anaemia in children, adolescents, women including pregnant and lactating women in life cycle approach providing preventive and curative mechanisms through a 6X6X6 strategy.
While some achievements have been made, the prevalence of anemia, according to National Family Health Survey-5 (2019-21), is 57.0 percent among women aged 15-49 years in the country. The prevalence of anaemia among women (15-49 years) across the country in rural areas is 58.5 percent and in urban areas is 53.8 percent as per NFHS-5 and the prevalence of anaemia in adolescent girls (15-19 years) across the country in rural areas is 60.2 percent and in urban areas is 56.5 percent.
The data depicts that the prevalence of anaemia in pregnant women and others is above the WHO considered ‘severe public health problem’.
Anemia in pregnancy is a condition with effects that may be deleterious to mothers and fetuses. It considerably increases fetal and maternal mortality and morbidity due to maternal vulnerability for infection and hemorrhage.
As per experts, if there is very poor compliance for oral iron, it could be given in the injection form at an interval of four weeks along with other necessary professionally prescribed interventions for better compliance. Iron fortification of foods also improves intake, as per the experts.
The government tries to meet the challenges through various means including providing Iron and Folic Acid supplementation to the pregnant women during ANC and providing incentives to front line workers for identification and follow-up of pregnant women with severe anaemia. However there is a need to ensure strict compliance besides providing training and orientation of medical officers and staff nurses on the AMB guidelines.
The administration needs to create field level awareness through community mobilization activities, focusing on anemia and addressing the issues related to it. Experts with a better understanding of realities on the ground should also be roped in. Under the National Health Mission, financial and technical support is provided to all the States and UTs for effective implementation of interventions under Anemia Mukt Bharat strategy based on proposals submitted in their respective Programme Implementation Plan(PIP). The administration needs to continuously make efforts to ensure effective implementation of various programmes. The administration needs to continue measures regarding awareness to address the various issues related to it.
