Bhubaneswar: Significant improvement has been observed in the reduction of anaemia among children, adolescent girls and women in the State. It has been possible due to the implementation of the AMLAN- ‘Anaemia Mukta Lakhya Abhiyan’ programme in the State.
According to the National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5) data, the level of anaemia among children aged 6 to 59 months in the State was 64.2%, while it has reduced to 42.3% after the implementation of AMLAN.
Similarly, anaemia among adolescent girls aged 10-19 years has decreased from 65.5% to 46.9%. The prevalence of anaemia among women of reproductive age group has decreased to 55.7% from 64.3%.
Health and Family Welfare Secretary Shalini Pandit said that anaemia has been reduced through the successful implementation of national and state schemes.
It is worth mentioning that Odisha’s position in anaemia is better than states like Gujarat, Bihar and Assam. According to the national survey data, Odisha has also made remarkable progress in fulfilling the nutritional requirement of children below the age of 5 years.