Hidden Health Gaps

Health research in Kashmir keeps producing numbers that should change lives.

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Surveys arrive with clear findings and wide participation.They map health challenges in homes, villages, and towns. People everywhere see these figures and the pressing words attached to them. But everyday health on the ground stays far from the promise of the data.

The National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5) shows that an overwhelming number of children under five in Jammu and Kashmir are anaemic. Nearly 73 percent of children (6-59 months) have low haemoglobin levels. Many have moderate or severe anaemia, which affects strength, growth, and learning ability. These rates have climbed sharply since the previous round.

Women’s health creates its own alarm. Around 66 percent of women aged 15-49 face anaemia of varying severity. This rate rose from 49 percent in an earlier survey to the current level. Such widespread anaemia harms women’s energy, immunity, and pregnancy outcomes.