New Delhi The latest National Family and Health Surveys (NFHS) published by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare on Friday revealed that more women in India are now giving birth in hospitals, especially private hospitals.
Births in hospitals saw an increase from 88.6% in the fifth survey (2019-2021) to 90.6% in the sixth survey, which collects data in 2023-2024. “The survey shows continued progress in safe delivery, with institutional deliveries increasing from 88.6% to 90.6%, and deliveries attended by skilled health personnel improving from 89.4% to 91.3%. Postnatal care coverage within 48 hours after birth also improved to 82.8%, enhancing continuity of care for both mothers and newborns,” the report said.
Experts say the rise in institutional deliveries has a direct impact on the country’s maternal mortality rate. “These improvements are also reflected in India’s continued progress in reducing maternal mortality, with the latest Sample Registration System (SRS) 2022-24 estimates putting the national maternal mortality rate at 87 per lakh (100,000) live births,” a senior government official said on condition of anonymity.
However, more women now prefer to give birth in private hospitals as the proportion of deliveries in public health facilities has declined from 61.9% in NFHS-5 to 58.6% in NFHS-6, the report said. “Several private hospitals are empowered under the umbrella of AB-PMJAY, which may have a role to play.”
The latest NFHS-6 results also highlight that prenatal enrollment in the first trimester of pregnancy increased from 70% to 76.2%, while mothers receiving four or more antenatal care visits increased significantly from 58.5% to 65.2%. According to the Ministry of Health, 95.9% of pregnant women now have access to antenatal care services, reflecting expanded coverage. “These gains reflect the Indian government’s sustained investments under key initiatives such as Surakshit Matritva Ashwasan, Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan), expanded PMSMA, Janani Suraksha Yojana, Ayushman Bharat…” an official said.
The percentage of overweight or obese women increased from 24% previously to 30.7%. Among men, the percentage increased from 22.9% to 27.3%.
One of the challenges governments face is increased reporting of lifestyle-related diseases, especially overweight.
Data show that blood sugar levels among adults – 15 years and older – have seen an increase with the very high category increasing from 6.3% previously to 9.1% in the current survey, and the high category jumping from 6.1% to 7.5%.
“Preventing lifestyle-related diseases is one of the government’s focus areas. Many programs are focusing on addressing this issue,” the Health Minister said.
The NFHS series provides information on population, health and nutrition in India, and NFHS 2023-2024 is sixth in the series.
