TS ranked 3rd in Niti Aayog's Health Index 2019-20; Kerala tops list
It became the only state that belonged to the 'most improved category' among the frontrunner states with a score of 4.22 in incremental performance.
By Nimisha S Pradeep Published on 27 Dec 2021 3:09 PM GMT
Hyderabad: In the fourth round of Health Index 'Healthy States, Progressive India' for the year 2019-20 released by NITI Aayog on 27 December, Telangana ranked third in overall performance as well as in incremental performance among the 19 'larger states' of the country.
The index groups all states into three categories – larger states, smaller states, and Union Territories. The states were evaluated based on 43 indicators and sub-indicators.
Telangana was one of the only four states among the larger states to improve its score from 65.74 in 2018-19 to 69.96 in 2019-20 overtaking Andhra Pradesh to be the third on the list. Andhra Pradesh fell short of Telangana by a very small margin securing 69.95.
Kerala, which topped all three rounds of the Health Index, retained its first position with a score of 82.20 followed by Tamil Nadu with 72.42.
NITI Aayog, however, said that 50% of the larger states did not even reach the halfway mark in terms of their scores in overall performance.
The index categorizes states as aspirants, achievers, and frontrunners. Telangana along with Kerala, Maharashtra, Andhra Pradesh, and Tamil Nadu has been categorized as frontrunners among the larger states.
Incremental performance
Telangana emerged as the strongest performer in incremental and overall performance. It became the only state that belonged to the 'most improved category' among the frontrunner states with a score of 4.22 in incremental performance. A score of more than 4 is considered as 'most improved'.
In the four key health indicators, Telangana was categorized as an achiever in neonatal mortality rate (NMR) and under-five mortality rate (U5MR). It was a frontrunner in the maternal mortality rate (MMR).
In the sub-indicators, Telangana retained 100% immunization coverage in 2019-20 as in 2014-15. Also, it scored 96.3 % in institutional deliveries. It also became the only state to maintain universal birth registration or 100% birth registration.
NITI Aayog, in collaboration with the ministry of health and family welfare and the World Bank, prepares the annual Health Index for tracking overall performance and incremental performance on health across all states and Union Territories.
