Women in Himachal Pradesh may be tough, but they are not in pink of health.

The disturbing indicator has come to notice in the latest National Family Health Survey-4, according to which more than half the number of women between 15-49 years of age, including pregnant women, are anaemic. Equal number of children in the age category of 6-59 months in the hill state also have lesser haemoglobin (Hb).

What is more serious is that there is a jump of ten per cent in numbers of anaemic women in Himachal (53.5 per cent) from 43 per cent in NFHS-3 done ten years back. The percentage of anaemic women in Himachal is not only higher than the national average, but is against the trend of decline in anaemic women at country level.

In India, the per centage of anaemic women has gone down from 55.3 to 53 from NFHS-3 to NFHS-4, and that of pregnant women from 57.9 to 50.3.

In HP, the pregnant women who are anaemic are 50.2 per cent as per the latest survey compared with 38.1 per cent ten years back.

The incidence of anaemic in tribal women is worse off, as 83.2 per cent women in tribal district of Lahaul Spiti and 80.08 per cent women in Kinnaur in the age category of 15-49 years are anaemic.

Anaemia in men has slightly increased in HP from 18 per cent to 20.1 over the last ten years.

Medical experts with Indira Gandhi Medical College hospital here said the increasing incidence of anaemia in the age category of 15-49 years has to do with poor nutritional status since adoloscence. “But it is a cause of worry and reflects on general health of women. It has a direct relation with other health issues also, including those at the time of child bearing. We need to improve the situation,” the experts said.

Subhash Mendhapurkar, Director, Social Uplift Though Rural Action (SUTRA), which is working in field of women health for long in HP, blamed the government for its denial mode on anaemia among women and children.

“The District Level Household and Facility Survey (DLHS) in HP in recent years too has shown that 47 per cent girls and 45 per cent boys in the age group of 10-19 years are anaemic. But what have we done to address it?” he questioned.

He said the trend of increasing incidence of anaemia has to do with the economic growth, which has changed the dietary habits.

It is pertinent to mention that the previous BJP government had started a programme for Anaemia Free HP, which never took off for its piece meal approach to address the health problem through iron tablets- than the nutritional habits.