Health Inequalities

 Health inequalities are unjust and avoidable disparities in people's health within a population group. They are influenced by societal situations that are out of one's control. The circumstances are unfavourable, and they have an impact on people's prospects of living a long and healthy life.

The NFHS-5 (National Family Health Survey), the fifth in the series, was launched by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare with the support of the International Institute for Population Sciences in Mumbai. Population, health, and nutrition are all topics included in the survey.

My paper focuses on the state of Haryana's major metrics, their trends, and comparisons. The following findings are drawn from data collected from 18,229 homes, 21,909 women, and 3,244 men:

1. The population has expanded as a result of increased longevity due to a variety of circumstances.
2. Because of the availability of door-to-door gas pipelines and reliable LPG cylinders, the number of households using clean fuel for cooking has increased dramatically in metropolitan areas. Furthermore, people have begun to cook with electrical gadgets. In rural regions, however, many still cook with wood or kerosene, which is harmful to the lungs and causes lung ailments and breathing problems in women.
3. In 2019, the Infant Mortality Rate per 1000 live births (33.3) increased from 32.8 in 2015, with urban (28.6) and rural (35.3) rates also increasing. This also demonstrates the lack of suitable resources for baby care in rural areas. This concern has been exacerbated by a lack of healthcare facilities, poor nutrition, and bad working circumstances that drive women to work even when pregnant.
4. In metropolitan regions, there is a greater awareness of the usage of family planning methods.
5. Maternity care has improved since 2015, particularly antenatal check-ups and prevention against newborn tetanus, and the gap between urban and rural locations has narrowed. The average cost per delivery, on the other hand, has increased.
6. Due to increased awareness and the availability of better healthcare facilities, the number of mothers receiving prenatal and postnatal care is higher in metropolitan regions. Women in rural areas, on the other hand, are required to work during and after their pregnancy, leaving little time for check-ups.
7. In rural areas, the percentage of children delivered at home who were taken to a health facility for a check-up within 24 hours of birth is substantially higher. In metropolitan areas, however, the presence of specialty hospitals allows children to be cared for on the hospital grounds themselves, where they are born within 24 hours or fewer.
8. In urban locations, births attended by competent health experts and births delivered by caesarean section are more common, indicating the availability of greater healthcare facilities—hospitals and medical professionals.
9. Due to increased awareness and the availability of better healthcare facilities, the number of mothers receiving prenatal and postnatal care is higher in metropolitan regions. Women in rural areas, on the other hand, are required to work during and after their pregnancy, leaving little time for check-ups.
10. In rural areas, the percentage of children delivered at home who were taken to a health facility for a check-up within 24 hours of birth is substantially higher. In metropolitan areas, however, the presence of specialty hospitals allows children to be cared for on the hospital grounds themselves, where they are born within 24 hours or fewer.
11. In urban locations, births attended by competent health experts and births delivered by caesarean section are more common, indicating the availability of greater healthcare facilities—hospitals and medical professionals.
12. In metropolitan regions, the percentage of children aged 6-8 months who receive solid or semi-solid food plus breastmilk is higher. This emphasises the bad economic conditions of the rural, where people do not have access to adequate food and where women are forced to work, leaving them with no time to breastfeed their children.
13. Rural areas have a greater rate of stunted or wasted children under the age of five due to a lack of nutrition.
14. In rural locations, women with a BMI below normal are 5% more likely than women with a normal BMI. Men, on the other hand, have a 1% higher rate in metropolitan regions. Women are subjected to abuse and arduous work, as well as the responsibility of caring for their families, leaving them with little time to care for themselves.
15. Adults in metropolitan regions have high blood sugar levels as a result of western lifestyles and high stress levels for survival. In comparison to rural areas, metropolitan areas have a higher prevalence of high or slightly increased blood pressure.
16. Cancer screening among adult men and women aged 30-40 years is extremely low (1.4 percent), owing to a lack of screening facilities and public knowledge of the disease, particularly among rural residents.
17. Rural communities have a lower level of HIV/AIDS awareness. Women in remote regions are unaware that contraceptives can protect them from these diseases.
18. Because of increased awareness and understanding about menstrual hygiene, the percentage of women aged 15 to 24 who employ hygienic measures of protection during their menstrual period is higher in metropolitan regions.

Haryana's health-care infrastructure is in poor condition. Medical officers, particularly specialists, are in low supply. In rural locations, private health infrastructure must be built. Rural communities have lower health-care quality, do not receive regular medical check-ups, and have higher mortality rates. The state should prioritise raising the IMR, increasing access to cancer screening, raising HIV and AIDS awareness, and vaccinating children. In rural areas, the government has to run more health and hygiene awareness programmes. This will strengthen health-care systems and benefit society as a whole.