Indicators 'missing' in NFHS factsheet being monitored via national surveys, databases: Govt sources

Union health ministry sources in New Delhi have clarified that indicators reportedly "missing" from the National Family Health Survey-6 (NFHS-6) Fact Sheets are actively monitored through dedicated national surveys and administrative databases. These sources emphasized that the fact sheets represent only the first stage of data dissemination, providing a concise snapshot of critical health and demographic trends.

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The factsheets are the first stage of dissemination. The detailed national report will provide a much broader picture.

The detailed national report, slated for subsequent release, will offer a broader picture with a wider range of indicators and in-depth analyses. The objective, according to officials, is to ensure each indicator is reported through its most authoritative source, thereby reducing duplication and enhancing overall data coherence. This approach aims to strengthen health data quality rather than limit the survey's scope.

For instance, indicators like sanitation and clean cooking fuel coverage are tracked through specialized platforms such as Swachh Survekshan Grameen and Ministry of Statistics and Programme Implementation surveys. Similarly, mortality, birth registration, and population statistics are generated by established systems like the Sample Registration System and the Civil Registration System. The absence of anaemia estimates in the current fact sheets is due to methodological concerns with capillary blood sampling in previous rounds; these estimates will be derived from the Indian Council of Medical Research's Diet and Biomarkers Survey, which uses more accurate venous blood sampling.

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The objective is to ensure that each indicator is reported through the most appropriate and authoritative source, reducing duplication and improving overall data coherence.

Furthermore, NFHS-6 has introduced several new indicators into the factsheets, including aspects of population composition, the elderly population share, financial inclusion, antenatal care utilization, vaccination coverage, severe diarrhoeal disease prevalence, and expanded breastfeeding indicators. Officials assured that indicators not reflected in the fact sheets have not been dropped and will be presented in greater detail in the full national report.

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Far from narrowing the survey's coverage, NFHS-6 has introduced several new indicators into the factsheets, including population composition, elderly population share, financial inclusion, antenatal care utilisation, vaccination coverage, severe diarrhoeal disease prevalence and expanded breastfeeding indicators.