Srinagar: The state of Jammu and Kashmir has emerged as the second ‘large state’ in India in terms of annual incremental performance on health indicators, the National Institution of Transforming India (NITI) Aayog said.
According to the NITI Aayog’s Health Index rankings announced on Friday, Kerala, Punjab, and Tamil Nadu ranked on top in terms of overall performance among larger states.
As per the report the state of Jammu and Kashmir has considerably improved, when it comes to the overall performance from the Base Year (2014-15) to the Reference Year (2015-16).
The state has been ranked number 2 after Jharkhand on the basis of Incremental Performance. During the Base Year, the state was standing at number 7, and jumped to number 2 in the Reference Year, jumping up in terms of overall performance Index score.
“Jharkhand, Jammu and Kashmir, and Uttar Pradesh showed the maximum gains in improvement of health outcomes from base to reference year in indicators which include neonatal mortality rate, under-five mortality rate, full immunization coverage, institutional deliveries, and People Living with HIV (PLHIV) on anti-retroviral therapy,” the “Healthy States, Progressive India” the report said.
However, it noted that while states that start at lower levels of development are generally at an advantage in notching up incremental progress over states with high health index scores, it is a challenge for states with high index scores to even maintain their performance levels.
Among smaller states, Mizoram ranked first followed by Manipur on overall performance. In terms of annual incremental performance, Manipur came out on top followed by Goa.
The report reveals that during the Base Year, the overall performance Index score of the state was 53.52 which went up with the incremental change of 6.83 and reached to the mark of 60.35 in the Reference Year.
“In terms of annual incremental performance in Index scores from the Base to the Reference Year, the top three ranked States in the group of Larger States are Jharkhand (up 6.87 points), Jammu & Kashmir (up 6.83 points) and Uttar Pradesh (up 5.55 points),” the report titled ‘Health States Progressive India,’ reads the report.
The state of Jammu and Kashmir, Overall performance – Composite Index score and rank, base and Reference Years, in terms of larger states, is standing at number 7 in Reference Year, jumping from number 11 with a significant positive overall change.
“The most significant progress was observed in Jharkhand and Jammu & Kashmir. Both States moved up by four positions in the ranking,” the report said, adding that among the 21 Larger States, only five States improved their position from base to Reference Year. These States are Punjab, Andhra Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand.
Based on the composite Index scores for the Reference Year (2015-16), the States are grouped into three categories: Aspirants, Achievers, and Front-runners. On the basis of composite Index score, the report has meticulously place the State in the category of ‘Achievers’, among all those states that have achieved the Index score between 48 and 62. “Overall, these States have made good progress and can move to the next group with sustained efforts,” report reads.
Jammu and Kashmir, while standing at number 2, has, as per the report, shown good incremental progress on health outcomes of Neonatal Mortality Rate (NMR) which is: 26 to 20 per 1000 live births, Under-Five Mortality Rate (U5MR), which is: 35 to 28 per 1000 live births, full immunization coverage, which is: 90 to 100 percent and 89 to 96 percent of People Living with HIV on Antiretroviral Therapy (ART).
In the domain of Health Outcomes, 11 States which include: Kerala, Punjab, Jammu & Kashmir, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Assam, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh, and Uttar Pradesh, the report says, have improved their Index score from base to Reference Year.
The state of Jammu & Kashmir has witnessed the largest positive incremental change of 10.05 in the domain of Health Outcomes, which was 56.49 for the Base Year and jumped to 66.54 for the Reference Year.
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