Planning board has asked various departments to formulate a plan to help women sustain Hb levels of 12mg/dl
Planning board has asked various departments to formulate a plan to help women sustain Hb levels of 12mg/dl
Kerala is launching a major initiative to tackle iron-deficiency anaemia in women, which has remained a chronic and underrated issue affecting the health of women in the State.
Anaemia is a more sensitive indicator of women’s health than any other and according to the data in the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5, 2019-21), 36% of women in Kerala are anaemic, a 2% increase from the data of 2015-16.
The State Planning Board, after several consultations, has now asked the Health, Women and Child Development, and the Local Self-Government departments to devise suitable strategies to create awareness of the impact of anaemia on health and to formulate a plan of action to treat anaemia and help women sustain haemoglobin levels in blood at 12mg/dl through their lifetime.
First phase
“In the first phase, we are focussing on anaemia in women in the 15-59 years age group. Mild anaemia (Hb levels of 10-12 mg/dl) is difficult to detect just by checking the pallor. Hence we have insisted on universal testing of women for Hb levels, including opportunistic screening of all women in the 15-59 years group coming to health institutions. Women should be made aware that Hb levels have to be maintained at 12 mg/dl for optimum health,” says P.K. Jameela, former Director of Health Services and member, State Planning Board.
Anaemia is a condition wherein the body does not have enough haemoglobin in the red blood cells. Haemoglobin is an iron-rich protein which enables red blood cells to carry oxygen to various organs. Though there are many forms of anaemia, iron-deficiency is the commonest cause of anaemia in our population. Low Hb levels can lead to fatigue and chronic tiredness, breathlessness, arrhythmias and complications in pregnancy. Anaemia in children is a major cause of poor scholastic performance and low IQ.
“Somehow, anaemia is totally disregarded as a health issue by people because it does not manifest with overt symptoms. We cannot detect anaemia unless we check the Hb levels and unfortunately, this testing happens only when the woman is pregnant or has to undergo some surgery,” points out Dr. Jameela.
The Health department is devising the awareness campaign and the “test, treat and talk” strategy so that undetected mild to moderate anaemia in women can be diagnosed and reversed through iron supplementation and iron-rich diet
In Kathirur
The Kathirur grama panchayat in Kannur district has already initiated an experiment on tackling anaemia, which the Planning Board is now showcasing. “Last year, a few apparently healthy women from Kathirur grama panchayat had volunteered to be blood donors at a medical camp. However, much to our dismay, none of these women could donate blood because their Hb levels were below 10mg/dl. This meant that a good proportion of “healthy” women in the community could be suffering from mild anaemia,” says Sahina A.K., medical officer of Kathirur Family Health Centre.
“We are now in the second phase of a major campaign, ‘Kathirur to 12’ to create awareness of the need for keeping Hb levels at 12, as part of which all women will be tested and treated. The stress is on persuading women to consume iron-rich food and doing moderate exercises to improve Hb level. We also introduced the concept of iron-rich kitchen garden, encouraging women to grow and consume green leafy vegetables at their homes,” Dr. Sahina says.
