How Gujarat fared in health-related factors

Gujarat will vote to elect its next government in two phases on December 1 and 5. The results will be declared on December 8. Along with employment rate and inflation, health-related factors such as fertility rate and sex ratio play a vital role in the state’s development.

Let us take a look at how Gujarat has fared in health-related factors over the years.

Neonatal Mortality Rate (NMR)

The first month after the birth of a child (more specifically the first 28 days) is called the neonatal period. NMR is measured as the number of neonatal deaths per 1,000 live births.

In India, neonatal mortality remains a public health concern, as more than two-thirds of infant deaths occur during the neonatal period.

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According to Niti Aayog’s data, Gujarat’s NMR was 24 in 2014 and 23 in 2015. It reduced slightly to 21 in 2016. It further dipped in 2017 to 19 but rose to 21 in 2018. In 2019-20 it was 21.8.

In 2019-20 states like Himachal Pradesh, Kerala, Maharashtra, Punjab and Tamil Nadu had NMR in the range of 5 and 13. These states are classified as front runners by the government. Gujarat needs to put in a lot of effort to improve its NMR.

Under-five Mortality Rate (U5MR)

The U5MR reflects the probability of dying before attaining the age of 5. The U5MR or the number of deaths under the age of 5 per 1000 live births during a specific year reflects a combination of several factors, such as the nutritional status of children, health knowledge of mothers etc.

In 2014, Gujarat’s U5MR was 41 which dropped to 39 in 2015. It further reduced to 33 in 2016 and 31 in 2017 but rose slightly to 33 in 2018. However, it surged to 37.6 in 2019-20.

These figures indicate that the state government became successful in reducing deaths under the age of 5 between 2014 and 2017, but could not stop it from surging in the later years.

Total Fertility Rate (TFR)

TFR is the most commonly used measure of fertility. It represents the number of children that would be born to a woman if she experiences the current fertility rate throughout her reproductive age of 15 to 49 years.

Generally, a high level of fertility is linked to poverty, low maternal education, gender inequality, and low female labour participation rates. Hence maintaining low TFR is vital for the state’s development.

According to National Family Health Survey 5, Gujarat's TFR was 2 in 2015-16 and 1.9 in 2019-20.

Sex Ratio at Birth (SRB)

SRB measures the number of girls born for every 1,000 boys born. It reflects the extent to which gender discrimination leads to sex-selective abortion. The low SRB in India relative to the global average has received considerable attention.

In 2012-14, Gujarat’s SRB was 907, which reduced to 854 in 2013-15. It further lowered to 848 in 2014-16. In 2017-18, SRB was 855 and 866 in 2018-19. It can be observed that the state’s SRB has reduced over the years, but still, it is better compared to states like Bihar with SRB of less than 810. Chhattisgarh and Kerala top the chart with SRB above 950.

Health Index

The Health Index highlights the progress reached by the individual States and UTs and is an important instrument in understanding the variations and complexity of the nation’s performance in health.

It highlights the areas each state should focus on to facilitate improvement in overall health outcomes. The lessons learned in the first and second rounds of the Health Index will guide us in making further improvements to the Health Index in the coming years.

States with scores greater than 62 are called front-runners. States with index scores between 48 and 62 are called achievers and those with scores below 48 are named Aspirants.

In 2014-15 and 2015-16, Gujarat secured 3rd and 4th rank with index scores of 63.28 and 61.99 respectively. Gujarat maintained its 4th rank in 2017-18.

In 2019-20, it stood at 6th rank with a 63.59 index score. Though the state’s health index ranking has declined, it is still a front-runner in the health index ranking.

However, Kerala has maintained its 1st rank over the years, with an index score of more than 80. Along with Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Himachal Pradesh and Maharashtra are Gujarat’s competitors in the health index ranking.