Making it count – on NFHS Survey

Source– The post is based on the article “Making it count” published in “The Hindu” on 3rd July 2023.

Syllabus: GS2- Vulnerable sections of the population. GS2- Government policies and interventions

Relevance– Issues related to disability

News- The Union government recently decided to drop the disability-specific question from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS)-6.

What is the reasoning provided by the central government for this decision?

The Ministry of Health and Family responded that questions about disability were already asked as part of the 76th round of Sample Registration Survey, conducted in 2018.

Any specific information can be tabulated from the raw data, which is also available in the public domain. Disability data will not change fast.

How is NFHS more useful in providing more comprehensive data about disability rather than SRS?

The count of 6.1 lakh sample households that the NFHS relies on, makes the data set truly representative.

The elaborate questions asked by NFHS will provide valuable specifics on the lives of the disabled.

The SRS provides insights into prevalence and incidence of disability, education level, living arrangements, care-givers, certificate of disability, accessibility and unemployment rate, among others. But the NFHS asks more comprehensive questions.

NFHS seeks answers on health and nutrition status, access to health schemes, insurance, sexual behaviour, availability of family planning, use of contraception, domestic violence, household amenities and possessions, lifestyle indicators, and access to drinking water and toilets.

Therefore, NFHS will yield better, more robust, data on the disability sector.

What is the way forward to know the prevalence of disability using NFHS?

Health Ministry officials claim that the sole NFHS question on disability too resulted in under-reporting. It might be a function of training for field staff who ask questions. The state must add questions on disabilities and train field staff.