4 days ago
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Tamil Nadu continued its dependable advancement successful maternal and kid healthcare arsenic reflected successful the latest National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6) 2023-2024. The State has recorded important sum successful cardinal maternal wellness services, with 99.7% births taking spot successful institutions and 87.6% mothers receiving astatine slightest 4 antenatal attraction visits, portion 90% of children aged betwixt 12 and 23 months afloat vaccinated.
However, definite challenges persist. Only a small implicit fractional - 54.8% of children nether 3 years - are breastfed wrong 1 hr of birth, and 55.6% of children nether property six months are exclusively breastfed.
Only astir 20.6% of children aged six to 23 months person an capable fare (15.8% successful NFHS-5 2019-2021]. In addition, 20.7% of children nether 5 are stunted (25.0% successful NFHS-5) and 17.4% are wasted (14.6% successful NFHS-5). Children nether 5 years who are severely wasted stood astatine 4.9% arsenic against 5.5% successful NFHS-5. Both stunting and wasting are cardinal indicators for assessing the nutritional presumption of children.
Another uncovering is the State’s Total Fertility Rate (children per woman), which stands astatine 1.7 (1.6 successful municipality and 1.8 successful rural) compared to 1.8 during NFHS-5 (2019-2021).
Among organization deliveries, 63.6% were successful nationalist wellness facilities arsenic against 66.9% successful NFHS-5. The survey noted that 46.9% of births were delivered by caesarean section. While 60.3% births were done caesarean deliveries successful backstage wellness facilities, it was 39.6% successful nationalist wellness facilities.
In puerility vaccination, the percent of children aged betwixt 12 and 23 months, who received 3 doses of rotavirus vaccine accrued from 66.4% from NFHS-5 to 87.4% successful NFHS-6. At slightest 91% children (12 to 23 months) received astir of their vaccinations successful a nationalist wellness facility.
K. Kolandasamy, erstwhile Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine, said that improving breastfeeding rates would assistance code nutritional issues. “Nutritional gains during infancy proceed arsenic a kid grows. We request to revamp anganwadi centres and fortify the absorption connected improving nutrition for children,” helium said.
On immunisation, helium said determination was present a request to execute 100% coverage. “We request to execute 100% sum to forestall infections specified arsenic measles and diphtheria,” helium said.
There should beryllium 1 municipality wellness caregiver for each 10,000 persons successful municipality areas and 1 colony caregiver for each 5,000 persons successful agrarian areas, helium added.
