Economy of the nation is growing and is moving a step closer towards meeting the international standards but unfortunately the public health is has massively declined over a past decade. And women and children are its worst victims.
According to the National Family Health Survey-III, over 56.2% of married women in the age group between 15 and 49 were anaemic in 2006 as against 51.8% in 1999.
If we look at the states, Assam is the worst affected, with 72% of its married women suffering from anaemia, followed by Haryana (69.7%) and Jharkhand (68.4%).
Likewise, 79.1% children between the ages of three to six years in the country in 2006 were anaemic as against 74.2% in 1998-99.
The reasons for this trend have been attributed to low social status of women, poor food quality, high cost of healthcare facilities and also some genetic problems.
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