New Delhi, Sep 10 (IANS) A survey will be taken up in nine states to assess the health of rural population since the launch of the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM).
The annual health survey will be carried out in Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattishgarh, Uttarakhand, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan and Assam by the health ministry, the home ministry and the Registrar General of India (RGI).

The decision was taken Thursday at a cabinet meeting chaired by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and was announced by Information and Broadcasting Minister Ambika Soni.

The survey aims to provide feedback on the impact of the schemes under NRHM, launched in 2005, in reduction of the Total Fertility Rate (TFR), Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) at the district level and the Maternal Mortality Ratio (MMR) at the regional level by estimating these rates on an annual basis for 284 districts in these states.

The NRHM aims to reduce infant mortality rate to 30 per 1,000 births, maternal mortality rate to 100 to 100,000 live births and total fertility rate to 2.1 by 2010.

The government felt that if the schemes need to make an impact on the health condition of people, there was a need to strengthen capacities for data collection, assessment and review for evidence based planning, monitoring and supervision.

The survey will be carried out by private agencies but supervised by RGI officials.

“The field work for the survey would commence during 2009-10 and the first set of results is likely to start flowing during 2010-11. Based on the experience of this exercise, a decision will be taken on future expansion of the survey to other parts of the country,” a statement issued here said.

The NRHM was launched by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to bring improvement in the health system and health status of people living in far-fetched and inaccessible areas.

It aims to provide universal access to equitable, affordable and quality health care and also to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.