Anemia Mukt Bharat: Status and Strategies
Speakers:
William JoeIEG
Abstract:- It is very concerning that more than half of the Indian population is anemic (especially, women, children and adolescent girls). A high and persistent prevalence of anemia is identified as a major public health and policy concern for India. Accordingly, various flagship programs and initiatives of the government of India (including Anemia Mukt Bharat, AMB) aims at accelerating the pace of reductions in anemia prevalence in the country. This presentation describes the prevalence and correlates of anemia in India and reviews the strategies and solutions to achieve the AMB objective of achieving faster reductions across various population sub-groups. The review is supplemented with analytical evidence and insights on the major achievements of AMB since its launch in 2018. The presentation also discusses the need and relevance of multidisciplinary research and analytical support to the government and developmental partners in strengthening the system building blocks for improving program implementation and effectiveness of the strategic framework for anemia prevention and control in India. In concluding, we argue that greater research attention is necessary to understand the immediate as well as long-term implications of anemia on population health and well-being including the returns to investments on anemia prevention and control.