NFHS‑6: Key Health Indicators Missing

NFHS-6 Drops Several Key Health Indicators Data

Why in the News?

The release of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-6 Factsheet has sparked debate after several important indicators related to sex ratio, cancer screening, sanitation, family planning, and anaemia were omitted despite data being collected during the survey.

NFHS‑6: Key Health Indicators Missing

Key Indicators Removed from NFHS-6

  • The NFHS-5 (2019–21) factsheet contained 131 key indicators, whereas NFHS-6 includes only 101 indicators.
  • Omitted indicators include population sex ratio, sex ratio at birth, birth and death registration rates, and mortality-related statistics.
  • Data related to sanitation facilities, access to clean cooking fuel, and government schemes such as Swachh Bharat Mission and PM Ujjwala Yojana have been excluded.
  • Several women-centric indicators have also been removed, including adolescent fertility rate, contraceptive usage patterns, family planning counselling, and information on contraceptive side effects.
  • Health indicators such as out-of-pocket expenditure on delivery, diarrhoea treatment using ORS and zinc, HIV awareness, and waist-to-hip ratio measurements are no longer part of the factsheet.

Government’s Rationale and Emerging Concerns

  • The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare stated that many omitted indicators are already reported through other government surveys and databases.
  • The move has been described as an effort toward “data harmonisation” to avoid duplication across surveys.
  • Data on sanitation, cooking fuel, fertility, mortality, and other indicators are expected to be available through programmes such as Swachh Bharat Mission, Ujjwala Yojana, and the Sample Registration System (SRS).
  • Indicators on cervical, breast, and oral cancer screening have also been removed despite their importance in monitoring non-communicable diseases.
  • Experts have raised concerns that reducing the number of indicators may limit the survey’s usefulness for evidence-based policymaking and programme evaluation.

About National Family Health Survey (NFHS):

●  NFHS is a large-scale, multi-round household survey that provides data on health, nutrition, family welfare, and population trends in India.

●  The survey is conducted by the International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS), Mumbai, under the supervision of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.

●  The first NFHS was conducted in 1992–93.

●  NFHS data are widely used for monitoring SDGs, health policies, and social welfare programmes.

●  Major indicators include fertility, mortality, maternal and child health, nutrition, family planning, and women’s empowerment.

●  NFHS findings play a crucial role in designing and assessing public health interventions at national and state levels.