How Do These 3 Election-Bound States Fare on Healthcare?

With Rajasthan, MP and Chhattisgarh set for elections later this year, here’s a health check for them.

(Photo: Harsh Sahani/FIT)

Healthcare is one of the main indicators to gauge the development of any society. Yet, in India, rarely is it an election issue or at the forefront of any election campaign. Health indicators like maternal and child health reflect a country and its economy’s progress.

So, with five Indian states set for elections later this year, here’s a health check for three of them. Below is a look at the healthcare status in the states of Madhya Pradesh (MP), Rajasthan and Chhattisgarh. We’ve compared the data from 2005-6 and 2015-16 to track their progress or their lack off.

For each state, we’ve focused on six indicators – Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR), Under-5 Mortality Rate (U5MR), number of district hospitals, vacancy of specialists in district hospitals and number of doctors possessing recognised medical qualifications. These have been compared to the national average.

Click on the years to compare the data between 2005-6 and 2015-16. And hover over the bars to see the exact numbers.

IMR is measured per 1,000 live births, MMR per 100,000 live births, and U5MR per 1,000 live births.

Madhya Pradesh

As per the last census, MP has a population of 7.26 crore.

Even though there has been an overall improvement over 10 years, MP's IMR and MMR rates are still much higher than the national average.

Only 1 new district hospital has been established in the state in 7 years (between March 2010 and March 2017), whereas nationally 144 new district hospitals came up. A little more than half of specialists posts are still vacant in these district hospitals in MP.

Rajasthan

As per the last census, Rajasthan has a population of 6.86 crore.

At 41, the state’s current average of IMR is similar to that of the nation, with a decrease of 24 deaths in the last 10 years. But the current average of MMR is still higher than the national figure.

In Rajasthan as well, only 1 new district hospital has been established in the state in 7 years. And close to 46 percent of specialists posts lie vacant in district hospitals in the state.

Chhattisgarh

As per the last census, MP has a population of 2.55 crore.

Even though there has been an improvement over 10 years, MP's IMR and MMR are still much higher than the national average.

Nine new district hospitals have been established in the state in 7 years, with 22.3 percent specialists vacant posts.