Lok Sabha Question No. 766 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2018-12-14
Subject: Gobal Hunger Index
Ministry: HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE
Asked by: M. CHANDRAKASI

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE

## LOK SABHA UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 766 TO BE ANSWERED ON 14 TH DECEMBER, 2018

## GOBAL HUNGER INDEX

## 766. SHRI M. CHANDRAKASI:

Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:

(a) the details of schemes/programmes run by the Ministry apart from the Ministry of Women and Child Development for the welfare of mother and children and expenditure incurred by it during each of the last three ye ars;

(b) whether as per Global Hunger Index - 2016, one in five Indian children under the age of five are wasted due to malnutrition, if so, the reasons therefor; and

(c) the details of the proposed action plan for protecting the health of the children int e cou try?

## ANSWER THE MINISTER OF STATE IN THE MINISTRY OF HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SMT. ANUPRIYA PATEL )

- (a): Improving health of mother and children is one of the top most priorities under Na Health Mission (NHM) of Government of India. To red uce maternal and child mortality as well as to improve nutritional status among mothers and children, various programmes under Nati Health Mission are being implemented by States/ UTs , which are attached in the annexure.

Public health is a State subject. The above interventions are being implemented b States and UTs, and funds are being provided comprehensively under National Health Miss for improving health and wellbeing of vulnerable population including mother a nd children as per proposals received from the States and UTs in their Programme Implementation Plan.

- (b): As per Global Hunger Index - 2016, 15.1% of Indian children under the age of five years are wasted. The causes of malnutrition are multi - factorial. Th e immediate causes are inadequate access  to  food  in  appropriate  quantity  and  quality  and  frequent  childhood  infections diarrhoea  and  pneumonia.  Poor  infant  young  child  feeding  practices,  poor  personal community hygiene backed by lack of awarene ss of caregivers on appropriate diet, poverty, and gender based discriminations are also responsible for childhood malnutrition.
- (c): Details as per annexure.

## ANNEXURE

## Initiatives under National Health Mission for welfare of mother and children

- The Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA) has been implemented since 2016 to ensure quality antenatal care to pregnant women in the country on the 9 every month.
- Promotion  of  Institutional  deliveries  through  cash  incentive  under  Janani  Sura sha Yojana  (JSY)  and  Janani  Shishu  Suraksha  Karyakaram  (JSSK)  which  entitles  all pregnant  women  delivering  in  public  health  institutions  to  absolutely  free  ante - natal check - ups,  delivery  including  Caesarean  section,  post - natal  care  and  treatment  of  sick in fants till one year of age.
- Strengthening of delivery points for providing comprehensive and quality Reproduct Maternal,  Newborn,  Child  and  Adolescent  Health  (RMNCH+A)  Services  are  being undertaken under the newly implemented LaQshya programme.
- Facilit ies have been operationalized as First Referral Units (FRUs) to provi comprehensive  emergency  obstetric  care  services  and  blood  transfusion  services mothers.
- Essential newborn care is being provided at all delivery points by establishing Ma and Child  Health  (MCH)  Wings  in  high  caseload  facilities.  For  this  purpose,  Spec Newborn  Care  Units  (SNCU),  Newborn  Stabilization  Units  (NBSU)  and  Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC) units for care of sick and small babies are being operationalized.
- Home  Based  Newbo rn  Care  (HBNC)  is  being  provided  by  ASHAs  to  improve  child rearing practices.
- Home based Young Child Programme has been launched in April 2018 with provision of additional 5 home visits by ASHAs starting from 3 months of age till 15 months of a the c hild.
- Early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding for first six months and appropriate and  Young  Child  Feeding  (IYCF)  practices  are  promoted  under  Mothers'  Absolute Affection (MAA) programme.
- Anemia Mukt Bharat (AMB) programme has been launched in April 2018 for preventing wide- spread anaemia among women, children and adolescents.
- Vitamin A supplementation (VAS) for children till the age of 5 years.
- National De - worming Day is being implemented as a fixed day strategy to administer Albendazole table ts to all the children in the age group of 1 - 19 years through the platform of AWCs and Schools.
- Childhood diarrhoea control activities are being undertaken during intensified dia control fortnights (IDCF) which is being organized across the country.
- Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres (NRCs) have been set up at public health facili treat  and  manage  the  children  with  Severe  Acute  Malnutrition  (SAM)  admitted  wit medical complications.
- Village Health and Nutrition Days (VHNDs) are observed for pro vision of maternal and child health services and creating awareness on maternal and child care including and nutrition education.
- Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) is being supported to provide vaccination t children against diseases pan Indi a and for diseases in selected States and UTs. 'Mission Indradhanush  and  Intensified  Mission  Indradhanush'  was  launched  to  fully  immunize children who are either unvaccinated or partially vaccinated; those that have no covered during the rounds of ro utine immunization for various reasons.
- Name based tracking of mothers and children till two years of age (Mother and Ch Tracking  System)  is  done  to  ensure  complete  antenatal,  intranatal,  postnatal  car complete immunization as per schedule.
- Rashtr iya Bal Swasthya Karyakram (RBSK) for health screening, early detection of bir defects, diseases, deficiencies, development delays and early intervention service been operationalized to provide comprehensive care to all the children in the age gr p of 0- 18 years in the community.
- Health and nutrition education through Information, Education & Communication (IEC and Behaviour Change Communication (BCC) to promote healthy practices and create awareness to generate demand and improve service uptake.
- For  promotion  of  food  fortification,  Food  Safety  and  Standard  Authority  of  I (FSSAI) have published guidelines for fortification of food with essential micronu such  as  iron,  vitamin  A  and  D  etc.  Iodization  of  edible  salt  has  been  undertak N ational Iodine Deficiency Programme and nationwide consumption of the iodized salt also being promoted under this programme.