In the recently released annual health index by NITI Aayog for 2020-21, Kerala, Tamil Nadu and Telangana have emerged as the top performers among the larger states. Let’s delve into the details of the report.
Major Highlights of NITI Aayog’s Annual Health Index
The annual health index classifies states into categories for comparison purposes namely larger states, smaller states, and Union territories (UTs). By these standards, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana secured first, second, and third places respectively among the 19 ‘larger states’ in terms of overall performance. On the opposite end of the spectrum, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, and Madhya Pradesh found themselves at the bottom.
Tripura was named the top performing state from among the eight smaller states, followed by Sikkim and Goa. Arunachal Pradesh, Nagaland and Manipur, however, were placed at the bottom of the list.
When considering the eight union territories, Lakshadweep secured the top rank whereas Delhi ranked lowest.
Furthermore, when assessing incremental performance, Rajasthan, Uttarakhand, and Odisha emerged as the top three performers in 2020-21 compared to their performance during the previous year, 2019-20.
About NITI Aayog’s Annual Health Index
Launched by the National Institution for Transforming India (NITI Aayog) in collaboration with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) and the World Bank, the annual Health Index was initiated in 2017 to track overall performance and incremental performance across all states and Union Territories (UTs).
The index aims to facilitate progress tracking on health outcomes and health systems performance, encourage healthy competition and promote cross learning among states and UTs.
Parameters and Composition of the Annual Health Index
States and UTs are evaluated on two key parameters in the health index: incremental performance and overall performance. The health index is a composite score of achievements and improvements across 24 markers spread over three domains: health outcomes, governance and information, and key inputs and processes.
The ‘health outcomes’ domain includes vital indicators such as neonatal mortality rate, total fertility rate, sex ratio at birth, immunization coverage, and the proportion of institutional deliveries amongst others.
Notably, the ‘governance and information’ domain tracks factors such as proportion of institutional deliveries, average occupancy time of key posts at state level, and the number of days taken for fund transfer.
Finally, the ‘key inputs/processes’ domain measures health infrastructure availability, including factors like the proportion of 24×7 functional primary healthcare centers, districts with functional cardiac care units, and vacancies in healthcare provider positions.
Background Information about NITI Aayog
The Government of India established NITI Aayog in 2015 by dissolving the Planning Commission formed in 1950. The new institution employs a ‘bottom-up’ approach in contrast to the top-down method of the Planning Commission.
NITI Aayog functions as a think tank where states are equal partners in deliberation to promote co-operative federalism. The governing council comprises of state Chief Ministers, the Chief Ministers of Delhi and Puducherry, the Lieutenant Governor of Andaman and Nicobar, and a vice chairman nominated by the Prime Minister, all under the ex-officio chairmanship of the Prime Minister.