50% of those screened in Haryana found anaemic by NHM

During a special campaign to check anaemia in the Haryana population, the National Health Mission (NHM) found that half of the 32-lakh people screened, 50% of them (16 lakh), were found to be anaemic, 50,000 out of them being severely anaemic patients.

This was part of the 100-Day Anemia Prevalence Reduction Campaign implemented in Haryana from June to September 2024 by the NHM.

Health officials said that since the far-reaching consequences of anaemia are multifaceted like impaired cognitive development in children, hindering their future potential, reduced work capacity in adults, it results in decreased productivity and economic growth and adverse pregnancy outcomes, including increased risk of maternal and infant mortality, low birth weight, and preterm birth.

The root cause of anemia, particularly iron deficiency, exacerbates these consequences, making it a pressing health priority, they said.

Dr Sunidhi Karol, Programme Officer, Anaemia Mukt Bharat and Child Health, NHM Haryana said, “Efforts to combat anemia require a multi-faceted approach, including, enhancing iron intake through fortified foods, diet diversification and supplements, promoting awareness and education on anemia prevention and management.”

Thus, recognising this, Haryana implemented the ATAL Abhiyan (Assuring Total Anemia Limit) in March 2019, aligned with the Anemia Mukt Bharat framework.

Under the 100-day campaign, the NHM report said that 32 lakh people were screened including children aged 6 to 59 months, 5 to 9 years, adolescents aged 10 to 19 years, women of reproductive age (20 to 49 years), pregnant women, lactating mothers and men.

“Supplements as per the category were given to them of which 9.18 lakh were given treatment, and 1.2 lakh were referred to higher health facilities for further management. Around 39,000 beneficiaries were retested for hemoglobin levels, and they showed improvement in HB levels after the supplementation,” the NHM report said.

Dr Karol further noted that Haryana also exceeded NITI Aayog’s goal of a 3% yearly decline and achieved a 3.9% reduction between financial year 2022-23 and 2023-24.

Apart from supplements, she stressed diet diversification including green leafy vegetables, chana, jaggery, eggs, raisins, millets and vitamin C, while avoiding taking calcium or milk products with iron-rich food.