New Delhi: The State Health Index report released by Niti Aayog on Monday said that Kerala has emerged as the best state in terms of overall health performance whereas Uttar Pradesh appeared poorest in the category of larger states.
The disparity among larger states was even wider for the Health Outcomes domain than for the Overall Performance. The Health Outcomes Index score of Kerala (85.97), the best performing state, is about three and half times that of the worst performing Uttar Pradesh (25.64).
As many as four other large states in India - Rajasthan, Bihar, Odisha, Uttarakhand - have registered no improvement or least improved in terms of incremental performance of their health sector, said the Fourth Edition of State Health Index Report released by Niti Aayog in New Delhi.
The State Health Index Report, 2019-20, however, said that these states remained aspirants states as far as overall performance is concerned.
States like Bihar, Odisha, Uttarakhand are also remained as aspirant states on overall ranking based on the composite index score in 2019-20. However, Rajasthan is the weakest performer both in case of incremental performance and overall performance.
Telangana performs well
On the other hand, Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Telangana did well for the improvement of their health sector, says the State Health Index report. "Maximum annual incremental performance have been shown by UP, Assam and Telangana among larger states," the report jointly released by Niti Aayog, World Bank and Health Ministry said.
Among the larger states, Telangana emerged as the strongest performer both in terms of incremental performance and overall performance. As per the findings, Mizoram and Meghalaya did well among smaller states and Delhi, J&K and Lakdhadweep are the most improved states among UTs.
The report titled, "Healthy States, Progressive India", ranks states and UTs on their year on year incremental performance in health outcomes as well as their overall status. "On overall ranking based on the composite index score, the top ranking States were Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and Tamil Nadu among the large States," the report said.
The mechanism
There is large variations in the domain specific performance within states. Many states fare significantly better in one domain suggesting that there is scope to improve their performance in the lagging domain with specific targeted interventions.
A robust and acceptable mechanism is used for measuring performance. Data is collected online through a portal maintained by Niti Aayog on agreed indicators. The data is then validated through an independent validation agency selected through a transparent bidding process. The validated data sheets are shared with the states for verification.
What is Health Index
The Health Index is an annual tool to assess the performance of States and UTs. It is weighted composite index based on 24 indicators grouped under the domains of Health Outcomes, Governance and Information, and Key Inputs/Process.
The health index is being compiled and published since 2017. It aims to nudge states and UTs towards building robust health system and improving service delivery.
