Executive Summary:
The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) addresses the prevalence of low birth weight (LBW) babies through various maternal and child health interventions. These include antenatal care, nutritional support, and facility-based newborn care. Data from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) indicates a declining trend in LBW prevalence over the last decade.
Key Points / Main Content:
Maternal and Child Health Interventions:
* Antenatal Care: Includes early pregnancy registration, four antenatal checkups, and management of high-risk pregnancies under the Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA).
* Community Outreach: Frontline workers provide counseling on maternal nutrition and health practices during Village Health and Nutrition Days (VHNDs).
* Nutritional Support: Iron and Folic Acid (IFA) supplementation is provided through the Anaemia Mukt Bharat programme to prevent and treat maternal anemia. Supplementary nutrition is provided in coordination with the Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD) under POSHAN Abhiyaan.
* Facility-Based Newborn Care (FBNC): Specialized care for small and sick newborns is provided through Mother Newborn Care Units (MNCUs), Special Newborn Care Units (SNCUs), and Newborn Stabilization Units (NBSUs).
* Programmatic Interventions: Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC), Home Based Newborn Care (HBNC), Home Based Young Child Care (HBYC), and Mother Absolute Affection (MAA) program improve outcomes for LBW babies.
* Support to States/UTs: Additional support is extended through the Annual Programme Implementation Plan (APIP) for effective implementation and equity in service delivery.
* Monitoring and Evaluation: Program implementation is improved through periodical field visits, midterm review meetings, and Common Review Missions (CRM).
Decline in Low Birth Weight Prevalence:
* National Data: The prevalence of low birth weight has shown a declining trend from 21.5% in NFHS-3 (2005-06) to 18.2% in NFHS-5 (2019-21).
* Underlying Factors: Socioeconomic disparities and maternal medical conditions are underlying causes of Low Birth Weight.
Support for Pregnant Women:
* Antenatal Care Services: All pregnant women, including those from socioeconomically disadvantaged groups, have access to antenatal care services under the National Health Mission (NHM).
* Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK): Entitles all pregnant women delivering in public health institutions to free delivery, including caesarean section, drugs, diet, diagnostics, transportation, and blood transfusion.
* Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY): Conditional cash transfer scheme for promoting institutional delivery.
* Outreach Camps: Improve the reach of healthcare services in tribal and hard-to-reach areas.
* Educational Materials: Mother and Child Protection (MCP) Card and Safe Motherhood Booklet are distributed to educate pregnant women on diet, rest, danger signs, benefits, and institutional deliveries.
* Anemia Mukt Bharat (AMB) Programme: Implemented to reduce anemia among various age groups through six interventions.
Impact Analysis:
Pregnant Women, Especially Socioeconomically Disadvantaged:
* Impact: Improved access to antenatal care, nutritional support, and institutional delivery services to reduce the risk of low birth weight babies.
* Action Required: Utilize available services such as JSSK and JSY, attend outreach camps, and follow guidance provided in the MCP Card and Safe Motherhood Booklet.
Healthcare Providers and Frontline Workers:
* Impact: Responsible for implementing and delivering maternal and child health interventions, including antenatal care, nutritional support, and facility-based newborn care.
* Action Required: Ensure effective implementation of programs like PMSMA, VHNDs, and AMB, and provide counseling on maternal nutrition and health practices.
States and Union Territories:
* Impact: Responsible for implementing and monitoring maternal and child health programs at the local level.
* Action Required: Utilize additional support from the NHM through the APIP, participate in review meetings and missions, and strengthen health systems to improve program implementation.
Ministries of Health and Family Welfare and Women and Child Development:
* Impact: Responsible for coordinating efforts to improve maternal and child health outcomes.
* Action Required: Continue to coordinate efforts to provide supplementary nutrition for pregnant and lactating women under POSHAN Abhiyaan.
Key Entities Referenced
Low Birth Weight: A condition where a baby is born with a weight below a certain threshold, often associated with health complications and addressed by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare.
Pradhan Mantri Surakshit Matritva Abhiyan (PMSMA): A government initiative for providing free, quality antenatal care to pregnant women on the 9th of every month.
Anaemia Mukt Bharat: A programme implemented to reduce anemia among six beneficiaries age groups through implementation of six interventions via robust institutional mechanism.
National Health Mission (NHM): A centrally sponsored scheme aimed at improving healthcare access and outcomes, particularly for women and children.
Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK): A scheme that entitles all pregnant women delivering in public health institutions to have absolutely free and no expense delivery, including caesarean section.
Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY): A demand promotion and conditional cash transfer scheme for promoting institutional delivery.
Ministry of Women and Child Development (MWCD): The government ministry that coordinates with the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare to provide supplementary nutrition for pregnant and lactating women under POSHAN Abhiyaan.
POSHAN Abhiyaan: A government initiative to improve nutritional outcomes for children, pregnant women and lactating mothers.
GOVERNMENTOFINDIA
MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE
DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE
LOK SABHA
UNSTARREDQUESTION NO. 1030
TOBE ANSWERED ON 25TH JULY2025
HIGH PREVALENCEOFLOW BIRTHWEIGHT BABIES
1030.SHRIVIJAYAKUMARALIAS VIJAYVASANTH:
Will the Ministerof HEALTH AND FAMILYWELFAREbe pleasedtostate:
(a) Whether any specific measures have been taken by the Government to address the high
prevalenceoflow birthweight babiesacrossthe countryandifso, thedetailsthereof;
(b) The details of the progress made in reducing low birth weight babies in the country over
the last decade and the factors that have contributed to the persistence of this issue in certain
regions;
(c) Whether the Government has taken any measures to ensure that pregnant women,
particularly those from socio-economically disadvantaged groups, have access to adequate
nutrition and antenatal care to reduce the risk of low birth weight babies and if so, the details
thereof;
(d) Whether the Government has any plan to address the regional disparities in low birth
weight prevalence with states like Punjab and Delhi having a higher prevalence compared to
NorthEastern StateslikeMizoram andNagalandandif so,thedetailsthereof; and
(e) Whether the Government is considering implementing targeted interventions, particularly
inregionswithhighprevalenceoflowbirthweightbabiesandif so,the detailsthereof?
ANSWER
THE MINISTER OFSTATE IN THE MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILY
WELFARE
(SMT. ANUPRIYAPATEL)
(a), (d) & (e) The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare (MoHFW) implements the
following interventions related to maternal and child health for addressing the prevalence of
lowbirthweight babies:
Antenatal care is a key component of maternal health interventions, which include
early pregnancy registration, four antenatal check-ups and management of high-risk
pregnanciesunderPradhanMantri SurakshitMatritva Abhiyan (PMSMA).
In addition, frontline workers provide counselling on maternal nutrition and health
practices during Village Health and Nutrition Days (VHNDs) and also facilitatebehaviour change communication in the community to reduce the risk of low birth
weight babies.
Iron and Folic Acid (IFA) supplementation is provided through the Anaemia Mukt
Bharat programme toprevent andtreatmaternalanaemia.
Postnatal interventions focus on the care of newborns, particularly those who are low
birth weight or preterm. Facility-Based Newborn Care (FBNC) is provided through
Mother Newborn Care Units (MNCUs), Special Newborn Care Units (SNCUs) and
Newborn Stabilization Units (NBSUs) which offer specialized care to small and sick
newborn.
The programmatic interventions such as Kangaroo Mother Care (KMC), Home-Based
Newborn Care (HBNC), Home-Based Young Child Care (HBYC) and Mother
Absolute Affection (MAA) program improves the survival and health outcomes of
lowbirthweight (LBW)babies.
NHM extends additional support to States and UTs through the Annual Programme
Implementation Plan (APIP) for effective implementation and equity in service
delivery.
Periodical field visits, mid-term review meetings with States/ UTs and Common
Review Mission (CRM) are key activities for health system strengthening to improve
programme implementation.
(b) As perNational FamilyHealth Survey(NFHS)Report, the prevalence of lowbirthweight
hasshown a declining trendoverthe past decadefrom 21.5% in NFHS-3(2005–06) to18.2%
in NFHS-5 (2019–21). Varying factors including socio-economic disparities and maternal
medicalconditionsareunderlyingcausesofLowBirthWeightinthecountry.
(c) Under National Health Mission (NHM), the Government of India has undertaken various
measures to ensure that all pregnant women including socio-economically disadvantaged
groups have the access of Antenatal care services under maternal health to reduce the risk of
lowbirthweightbabiesacrossthecountry,whicharegivenbelow:-
Janani Shishu Suraksha Karyakram (JSSK) entitles all pregnant woman delivering in
public health institutions to have absolutely free and no expense delivery, including
caesarean section. The entitlements include free drugs, consumables, free diet during
stay,freediagnostics,freetransportationandfreebloodtransfusion,ifrequired.Similar
entitlementsarealsoinplaceforsickinfantsuptooneyearofage.
Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) is a demand promotion and conditional cash transfer
schemeforpromotinginstitutionaldelivery.
Outreach camps are provisioned for improving the reach of health care services
especially in tribal and hard to reach areas. This platform is used to increase the
awarenessfortheMaternal&Childhealthservices,communitymobilizationaswellas
totrackhigh-riskpregnancies.
MotherandChildProtection(MCP)CardandSafeMotherhoodBookletaredistributed
to the pregnant women for educating them on diet, rest, danger signs of pregnancy,
benefitschemesandinstitutional deliveries.
Anemia Mukt Bharat (AMB) Programmeisimplemented to reduce anemia amongsix
beneficiaries age group - children (6-59 months), children (5-9 years), adolescents (10-19 years), pregnant and lactating women and in women of reproductive age group
(15-49 years) in life cycle approach through implementation of six interventions via
robust institutional mechanism.
The Ministry also coordinates with Ministry of Women and Child Development
(MWCD) to provide supplementary nutrition for pregnant and lactating women to
address maternal undernutrition and promote healthier pregnancy outcomes under
POSHANAbhiyaan.
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