KOCHI: For the second year in a row, Kerala has emerged the top ranking state in Niti Aayog’s composite health index released on Tuesday, despite slight decline in its performance from the previous ranking released last year.
The second health index accounts for the period 2015-16 (base year) to 2017-18 (reference year). Kerala remained the best-performing state with a health index of 76.55 but dipped slightly from 80 in the base year of 2014-15.
Uttar Pradesh was the worst performer among the states at 33.69. After Kerala, other best performers are Punjab (65.21), Tamil Nadu (63.38), Gujarat (61.99), and Himachal Pradesh (61.20).
Health Minister K K Shailaja said No. 1 rank is a recognition for the various initiatives taken by the state government in the last few years. “We are now taking steps to upgrade the basic facilities from all the primary healthcare centres up to Medical Colleges in the state, so that they become the centres of excellence and thereby more patient-friendly,” she said.
The Kerala Health Department’s actions during Nipah virus outbreak last year, the floods and the Ockhi cyclone were praiseworthy, she pointed out.
The report ‘Healthy States, Progressive India’, released on Tuesday, said it was a challenge for
states like Kerala that have high index scores to maintain their performance levels.
“For example, Kerala ranks on top in terms of overall performance and at the bottom in terms of incremental progress mainly as it had already achieved a low level of Neonatal Mortality Rate and Under-five Mortality Rate and replacement level fertility, leaving limited space for any further improvements,” the report said. Releasing the report in New Delhi, Niti Aayog vice-chairman Rajiv Kumar said Aayog was committed to establishing the Health Index as an annual systematic tool to propel the states towards undertaking multi-pronged interventions to bring better health outcomes.