The fourth edition of Niti Aayog’s state health index for 2019-20 has been issued.
The NITI Aayog, the World Bank, and the Union Health and Family Welfare Ministry commissioned the “Health Index” as part of a report.
In the most recent index, the following states performed well:
Kerala has won for the fourth year in a row.
Uttar Pradesh is at the bottom of the list.
Tamil Nadu is ranked second, while Telangana is ranked third.
Mizoram came out on top among smaller states in terms of health, while Nagaland came in worst.
Dadra and Nagar Haveli and Daman and Diu were placed first and second, respectively, among union territories, and Andaman and Nicobar was ranked last.
Parameters used to evaluate states:
The Health Index score is calculated using data from a vast number of variables organized into three categories: health outcomes, governance and information, and key inputs and processes.
Parameters like neonatal mortality rate, under-5 mortality rate, and birth sex ratio are examples of health outcomes.
Institutional deliveries and average occupancy of top officials in important positions intended for health are examples of governance.
Significance:
The Health Index was created as a mechanism to use cooperative and competitive federalism to accelerate the pace at which health results are achieved.
It would also be used to “nudge” States and Union Territories (UTs) and Central Ministries to place a considerably larger emphasis on output and outcome-based annual performance measurement than is currently the case.
The Index’s annual publication and dynamic availability on the public domain are expected to keep all stakeholders informed about the achievement of Goal 3 of the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs).
