New Delhi: 

Maximum pregnant women in Bihar, Gujarat and West Bengal have been suffering from anaemia in India, the health ministry said on Friday.

According to the government data, 63.1 percent pregnant women in Bihar have been suffering from anaemia followed by 62.6 percent in Gujarat and 62.3 percent in West Bengal.

Disclosing this in the Lok Sabha, Minister of State for Health and Family Welfare, Anupriya Patel said that the prevalence of anaemia in women (15-49 years) across the country is 57.0 percent and the prevalence of anaemia in children (6-59 months) across the country is 67.1 percent as per the National Family Health Survey 5 (2019-21).

“The prevalence of anaemia in pregnant women (15-49 years) across the country is 52.2 percent as per the National Family Health Survey 5 (2019-21),” she said.

Patel said that the Government of India implements the Anaemia Mukt Bharat strategy to reduce prevalence of anaemia in women and children in a life cycle approach through the implementation of six interventions including Prophylactic Iron and Folic Acid supplementation; Deworming (all children are provided albendazole tablets during National Deworming Day), Intensified behavioural change communication campaign Testing for anaemia and treatment as per management protocols, mandatory provision of IFA fortified food in public health programmes and addressing non-nutritional causes of anaemia especially malaria, fluorosis and hemoglobinopathies via robust institutional mechanisms

“IFA syrup is provided biweekly to children 6-59 months, IFA Red tablet is provided weekly to Women of Reproductive age group and IFA Red tablets are provided daily for 180 days to pregnant women and lactating mothers,” she said.

Anaemia is a problem of not having enough healthy red blood cells or haemoglobin to carry oxygen to the body’s tissues. It can cause several problems like fatigue, weakness, and shortness of breath.

As per HMIS data, in FY 2024-25 (upto December 2024), IFA syrup is provided to 45.3 percent children aged 6-59 months and IFA Red tablets are provided to 95.0 percent pregnant women.

In States like Tripura, Telangana, Punjab, Odisha, Madhya Pradesh, Jharkhand, Haryana, Chhattisgarh, Assam, Andhra Pradesh more than 50 percent of pregnant women are anaemic.

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