NITI Aayog Health Index: Kerala Best State On Health Parameters, UP Worst

Kerala is ranked as the state with the best overall health performance among larger states by the fourth Health Index launched by NITI Aayog. Uttar Pradesh ranks the lowest.

The period 2019-20 was considered (reference year) in the fourth round of the Health Index.

According to the report by the government think tank, Tamil Nadu and Telangana appear to be the second and third best performing states on health indicators.

Mizoram was the top performer in terms of both overall performance and incremental performance among the smaller states. In terms of overall performance, Delhi and Jammu and Kashmir (UTs) were among the bottom performers. Based on the changes that occurred from the base year (2018-19) to the reference year (2019-20), Uttar Pradesh tops the list of most incremental performance.

The report by NITI Aayog was compiled in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and technical assistance from the World Bank.

NITI Aayog on its website mentions that while India has experienced significant economic growth over the past decades, our achievements in population health have not kept pace.

Health, nutrition, education, women, and children were identified as priority sectors as per the National Development Agenda that was unanimously endorsed by all State Chief Ministers and Lieutenant Governors of Union Territories in 2015.

For achieving the National Development Agenda, rapid improvement in these sectors is imperative.

Despite the fact that the responsibility is shared between the Centre and the states, health being a state subject, implementation in this area is mostly done by the states.

India has committed to the adoption of Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) to end poverty, protect the environment, and ensure prosperity for all as one part of a new global sustainable development agenda to be achieved by 2030 together with other countries. There is renewed commitment to accelerate the pace of achieving the SDGs, including Goal 3 on ensuring healthy lives and promoting well-being for everyone at any age in India.

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