Lok Sabha Question No. 4853 (UNSTARRED), answered on 2022-04-01
Subject: Health Expenditure for Children
Ministry: WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT
Asked by: Mohammad Jawed

## GOVERNMENT OF INDIA MINISTRY OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT

## LOK SABHA UN-STARRED QUESTION NO.4853

TO BE ANSWERED ON 01.04.2022

## HEALTH EXPENDITURE FOR CHILDREN

4853. DR. MOHAMMAD JAWED:

Will the Minister of WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT be pleased to state :

- (a) whether the allocation for health expenditure for children has been reduced by 6.08 percent to 3727.57 Cr despite the COVID-19 pandemic and its consequent effects on children;
- (b) if so, the manner in which the Ministry plans to overcome this significant deficit in the allocation; and
- (c) the manner in which the Ministry aims to deal with the present need of focusing on children's health and the timeline fixed in this regard?

## ANSWER

## MINISTER OF WOMEN AND CHILD DEVELOPMENT (SHRIMATI SMRITI ZUBIN IRANI)

(a)  to  (c)  :   As  per  information  received  from  the  Ministry  of  Health  &  Family Welfare,  National  Health  Mission  (NHM)  is  a  centrally  sponsored  scheme  where funds are released to States/UTs based on their proposals under various flexible pools  for  strengthening  the  health  care  delivery  system.   The  details  of  fund approvals  towards  Reproductive  &  Child  Health  (RCH)  Flexible  Pool  (including Routine  Immunisation  (RI),  Pulse  Polio  Immunisation  (PPI)  &  National  Iodine Deficiency Disorder Control Programme (NIDDCP)) under National Health Mission (NHM) from F.Y. 2019-20 to 2021-22 are placed as under :

(Rs. in lakhs)

| Particulars       |   2019-20 |     2020-21 |     2021-22 |
|-------------------|-----------|-------------|-------------|
| RCH Flexible Pool |    992435 | 1.02372e+06 | 1.05277e+06 |

Note:  The  above  information  is  as  per  the  available  Financial Management  Report  (FMR)  as  submitted  by  States/UTs  and  is updated upto 31.12.2021.

The  Ministry of Health and  Family  Welfare  (MoHFW)  is  supporting  all States/UTs in implementation of Reproductive, Maternal, New-born, Child, Adolescent  health  and  Nutrition  (RMNCAH+N)  strategy  under  National  Health Mission  (NHM)  based  on  the  Annual  Programme  Implementation  Plan  (APIP) submitted  by  States/  UTs  to  improve  child  health  services.  These  include  :-

- i. Facility  Based  New-born  Care  : Sick  New-born  Care  Units  (SNCUs)  are established at District Hospital and Medical College level, New-born Stabilization Units (NBSUs) are established at First Referral Units (FRUs)/ Community Health Centres (CHCs) for care of sick and small babies.
- ii. Community  Based  care  of  New-born  and  Young  Children: Under  Home Based  New-born  Care  (HBNC)  and  Home-Based  Care  of  Young  Children (HBYC)  programme,  home  visits  are  performed  by  ASHAs  to  improve  child rearing  practices  and  to  identify  sick  new-born  and  young  children  in  the community.
- iii. Mothers' Absolute Affection (MAA) : Early initiation and exclusive breastfeeding  for  first  six  months  and  appropriate  Infant  and  Young  Child Feeding  (IYCF)  practices  are  promoted  under  Mothers'  Absolute  Affection (MAA).
- iv. Social  Awareness  and  Actions  to  Neutralize  Pneumonia  Successfully (SAANS) initiative implemented since 2019 for reduction of childhood morbidity and mortality due to Pneumonia.
- v. Universal Immunization Programme (UIP) is implemented to provide vaccination  to  children  against  life  threatening  diseases  such  as  Tuberculosis, Diphtheria, Pertussis, Polio, Tetanus, Hepatitis B, Measles, Rubella, Pneumonia and Meningitis caused by Haemophilus Influenzae B. The Rotavirus vaccination has  also  been  rolled  out  in  the  country  for  prevention  of  Rota-viral  diarrhoea. Pneumococcal Conjugate Vaccine (PCV) has been introduced in all the States and UTs.
- vi. Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakaram (RBSK): Children from 0 to 18 years of age are screened for 30 health conditions (i.e. Diseases, Deficiencies, Defects and Developmental delay) under Rashtriya Bal Swasthya Karyakaram (RBSK) to improve  child  survival.  District  Early  Intervention  Centres  (DEICs)  at  district health facility level are established for confirmation and management of children screened under RBSK.
- vii. Nutrition Rehabilitation Centres (NRCs) are set up at public health facilities to treat  and  manage  the  children  with  Severe  Acute  Malnutrition  (SAM)  admitted with medical complications.
- viii. Intensified  Diarrhoea  Control  Fortnight  /  Defeat  Diarrhoea  (D2) initiative implemented  for  promoting  ORS  and  Zinc  use  and  for  reducing  diarrhoeal deaths.
- ix. Anaemia Mukt Bharat (AMB) strategy as a part of POSHAN Abhiyan aims to strengthen  the  existing  mechanisms  and  foster  newer  strategies  to  tackle anaemia  which  include testing & treatment of anaemia  in school going adolescents & pregnant women, addressing non-nutritional causes of anaemia and a comprehensive communication strategy.
- x. Capacity Building: Several capacity building programs of health care providers are taken up for improving maternal and child survival and health outcomes.

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