Kerala continues to fare better than any other state in the country in terms of nutritional availability and public healthcare. As per the latest Social Progress Index (SPI) of states and districts released by the Economic Advisory Council and Institute for Competitiveness and Social Progress Imperative, Kerala’s score on both nutritional availability and public healthcare was 67.88.
Lakshadweep finished second with a score of 66.58 while third-placed Sikkim scored 65.57. Kerala’s score is way ahead than the national average of 49.22. Pathanamthitta (63.09), Kozhikode (62.21) and Thiruvananthapuram (62.03) topped the list of 340 districts that scored above the national average in nutrition and healthcare. All the districts in Kerala are ahead of the national average.
Kerala’s ability to contain anaemia in women and the lowest maternal and infant mortality rate have brought the state to the forefront in this field. Pathanamthitta is at the forefront in terms of nutritional availability. About 50.1 per cent of children aged 6-23 months are receiving adequate nutrition.
Though the state has rapid progress in healthcare, the rise of lifestyle -related diseases in the state is a worrying factor. Kerala is the state with the highest incidence of lifestyle diseases.
Diabetes and hypertension are high in Kerala. Kerala’s health and wellness score is 34.4. The national average is 53.99. The health wellness index was constructed based on diabetes, high blood pressure, obesity, serious lung diseases, leprosy, HIV, immunisation in children and life expectancy.
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