Union Health Minister JP Nadda on Saturday dismissed Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge’s criticism of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-6 findings, saying that “half knowledge is dangerous.”
"Shri Kharge ji's half-knowledge is dangerous. Public health is too important to be reduced to political rhetoric. Selective reading may serve politics, but facts serve the nation," Nadda said in a post on X.
The NFHS-6 data clearly demonstrates the remarkable transformation in India’s health ecosystem under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said.
Kharge on Thursday alleged that the Modi government has betrayed India's women and children on healthcare and nutrition, claiming that the BJP's "absolute incompetence" has been unmasked by the findings of the sixth round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6).
Responding to Kharge's remarks, Nadda accused him of selectively reading the survey findings for political purposes and said the data demonstrates the "remarkable transformation" in India's health ecosystem under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Citing improvements in maternal healthcare indicators since NFHS-3 (2005-06), he said first-trimester antenatal registration rose from 43.9 per cent to 76.2 per cent, institutional deliveries increased from 38.7 per cent to 90.6 per cent and births attended by skilled health personnel climbed from 46.6 per cent to 91.3 per cent.
The minister said the gains reflect better access to healthcare services for women across the country.
"These are not mere statistics. They represent millions of mothers receiving timely care, safer deliveries and better health outcomes. The real story of India's healthcare journey is one of progress, not pessimism," he said.
In another post, Nadda compared the latest survey findings with those recorded during the Congress-led UPA era and said the gains reflected in NFHS-6 extend far beyond maternal healthcare and stand in sharp contrast to the poor outcomes witnessed during that time.
"Compared to NFHS-3 (2005-06), conducted during the UPA regime: Full immunisation coverage in the NFHS-6 has increased to 87.1 per cent. Health insurance coverage has surged from 4.9 per cent to 60.2 per cent. Use of hygienic menstrual protection has risen to 79.2 per cent. Child stunting has declined from 48.0 per cent to 29.3 per cent," he said.
In another post, the health minister accused the Congress of ignoring the shortcomings of previous governments and said the latest survey reflects greater access to healthcare and wider social protection.
While acknowledging that challenges remain, Nadda said the BJP-led government continues to address those with urgency, but dismissing the progress recorded in the survey does a disservice to the efforts of health workers and beneficiaries who have contributed to the improvements.
(With inputs from PTI)