‘Shakti Diwas’ helps state fight anaemia

Jaipur: Rajasthan’s ranking in Anaemia Mukt Bharat (AMB) has improved slightly, but the state has still a long way to go to be free from the ailment. The improvement has been reflected as an outcome of Shakti Diwas, which is being celebrated each Thursday for the past few months, health department officials claimed.
The AMB report released recently shows the state had achieved remarkable improvement in iron folic acid coverage in the 6-month to 59-month children from 30.6% to 50.9% from the first quarter (April to June) to the second quarter (June to September) of the financial year 2022-23.
A health department official said, “We administer iron folic acid syrup to children from 6 months to 59 months twice a week. Also, we have launched Shakti Diwas, which is celebrated every Thursday. It has played a key role in increasing iron folic acid coverage among kids. We are providing iron folic acid syrup to increase the level of hemoglobin among children, adolescent and pregnant women.”
The improvement of iron folic acid coverage among children (6 months to 59 months) has helped the state in improving its ranking from 15th in quarter April to June to 14th place in quarter June to September.
The health department is concerned about anaemia in children rising by 11.2 points (from 60.3% to 71.5%) in the state. Shakti Diwas is being organised at educational and medical centres in the state every Thursday.