90% of Indian babies are born in hospitals: NFHS-6

Key Pillars of Improvement

1. The Maternal Care and Nutrition Continuum

According to Screenshot 2026-06-02 at 7.57.55 PM.jpg, antenatal care (ANC) services have expanded significantly. Nearly 95.9% of pregnant women received some form of ANC, with 76.2% registering in their crucial first trimester (up from 70% in the previous round). Furthermore, women completing at least four structural ANC visits climbed from 58.5% to 65.2%. This upward trend is supported by better compliance with nutritional supplements:

• Women consuming Iron-Folic Acid (IFA) supplements for 100+ days rose from 44.1% to 54.9%.
• Women consuming IFA for 180+ days increased from 26% to 37.8%.

2. Public Sector-Led Universal Immunization

The expansion of immunization coverage highlights the efficacy of targeted public programs like Mission Indradhanush. Notable increases occurred in key preventive vaccines:

• Rotavirus vaccine coverage experienced a massive surge, climbing from 36.4% to 85.4%.
• The second dose of the measles-containing vaccine rose from 58.6% to 71.8%. This robust immunization framework led to a sharp drop in childhood morbidity, with severe diarrhea cases falling to 0.5% and acute respiratory infection (ARI) symptoms dropping to 1.9%.

Analytical Insights for UPSC Mains: Critical Operational Gaps

While the baseline statistics reflect clear successes, an in-depth analysis of the NFHS-6 data reveals distinct structural worries that complicate India’s public health policy:

1. The "C-Section Epidemic" and Healthcare Over-Medicalization

The survey records a sharp, problematic surge in births via Caesarean section (C-section), which rose nationally from 21.5% to 27.2%.

• The Urban Crisis: In urban areas, C-section rates have reached a staggering 40%, far exceeding the World Health Organization’s (WHO) optimal medical threshold of 10% to 15%.
• The Policy Implication: This extreme divergence points to the commercialization of maternal care within private facilities and the practice of "defensive obstetrics," rather than actual medical necessity. Unnecessary C-sections divert public resources and increase post-operative health vulnerabilities for mothers.

2. The Stagnant Underweight Vector

While chronic malnutrition metrics like stunting (29.3%) and acute wasting (5.2%) dropped noticeably, the percentage of underweight children under five experienced a minimal change, moving only from 32.1% to 31.8%. This slow decline suggests that while targeted interventions have successfully limited extreme child wasting, underlying macro-nutritional deficiencies remain a persistent issue.

3. The Double Burden of Malnutrition and Epidemiological Shifts

The report explicitly flags a rise in non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and lifestyle-related risks. India is now dealing with the "double burden of malnutrition"—where persistent child undernutrition co-exists with rising obesity rates among adults. This shift indicates that public policy must evolve from focusing strictly on caloric food security to managing diet quality and lifestyle risks.

Way Forward

1. Regulating Surgical Deliveries: The National Health Authority (NHA) and state medical councils must establish strict, auditable clinical protocols for C-sections. Introducing mandatory medical audits for hospitals that exceed the 15% WHO threshold can curb unnecessary surgical interventions.

2. Shifting from Caloric to Nutritional Security: To address the stagnant underweight metrics and the rise in adult obesity, schemes like POSHAN Abhiyaan must expand their focus. Interventions should prioritize dietary diversity, micro-nutrient fortification, and local food counseling over simple grain distribution.

3. Decentralized Screening for Lifestyle Risks: With NCDs on the rise, primary care facilities like Ayushman Arogya Mandirs should be utilized to scale up community-level screenings for hypertension, diabetes, and metabolic disorders, catching lifestyle risks early.