GS Paper 2:
Topics Covered: Issues related to health.
Context:
Niti Aayog has released the fourth edition of its state health index for 2019-20.
- The “Health Index” is part of a report commissioned by the NITI Aayog, the World Bank and the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry.
Performance of states in the latest index:
- For the fourth year in a row, Kerala has topped.
- Uttar Pradesh has come in at the bottom.
- Tamil Nadu and Telangana are at 2nd and 3rd places respectively.
- Mizoram topped the health index among smaller states while Nagaland was ranked at the bottom.
- Among union territories, Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu was ranked at the top and Andaman & Nicobar was ranked at the bottom.
The Health Index score is prepared based on the States’ performance across a large set of indicators that are divided into three broad domains — health outcomes, governance and information, and key inputs and processes.
- Health outcomes, for instance, include parameters such as neonatal mortality rate, under-5 mortality rate and sex ratio at birth.
- Governance includes institutional deliveries, average occupancy of senior officers in key posts earmarked for health.
Significance:
- Health Index has been developed as a tool to leverage co-operative and competitive federalism to accelerate the pace of achieving health outcomes.
- It would also serve as an instrument for “nudging” States & Union Territories (UTs) and the Central Ministries to a much greater focus on output and outcome-based measurement of annual performance than is currently the practice.
- With the annual publication of the Index and its availability on public domain on a dynamic basis, it is expected to keep every stakeholder alert to the achievement of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) Goal number 3.
InstaLinks:
Prelims Link:
- About the Index.
- Ranking criteria.
- Latest findings.
Mains Link:
Analyse the findings of the NITI Aayog’s Health Index report that was released recently.
Sources: the Hindu.