The Central Government is set to issue new operational guidelines to rapidly reduce the prevalence of anaemia in the country. Under this initiative, the existing ‘6×6×6 strategy’ has been expanded into a ‘7×7×7 strategy’. Union Minister for Health and Family Welfare J.P. Nadda will release these new operational guidelines for the ‘Anaemia Mukt Bharat Abhiyaan’ (Anaemia-Free India Campaign) during the 16th meeting of the Central Council of Health and Family Welfare on Monday (June 29).
Campaign to encompass everything from screening to tracking
The government states that the program will be advanced as a more comprehensive, people-centric, and technology-driven campaign. Instead of being limited merely to the distribution of iron tablets, the campaign will now incorporate screening, treatment, proper nutrition, digital tracking, and public participation. For the first time, the new guidelines include low-birth-weight infants (aged 0 to 6 months) as a seventh beneficiary group. Additionally, ‘Eating Right’ (consuming a balanced, iron-rich diet) has been added as a seventh intervention to foster the habit of consuming nutritious food daily. Furthermore, a robust monitoring and evaluation system—supported by digital tracking—has been introduced as a seventh institutional mechanism.
Implementation of the T4 model
The campaign will shift from the T3 strategy (Test, Treat, Talk) to the T4 model (Test, Treat, Talk, and Track). This model entails regular haemoglobin testing, treatment for anaemia in accordance with national protocols, digital tracking of patient follow-ups and referrals, and counseling on proper nutrition. The government asserts that these new operational guidelines will strengthen nutrition and maternal and child health, thereby accelerating progress toward the goal of an ‘Anaemia-Free India’. The guidelines also incorporate intravenous iron therapy for pregnant and lactating women suffering from severe anaemia who do not respond adequately to standard treatments. Under this initiative, medicines such as Ferric Carboxymaltose (FCM) and Iron Sucrose will be used.
Digitization of Records
Under the new system, all records related to anemia will be integrated onto digital platforms. Screening records for pregnant women will be logged on the ‘Janani’ portal, while records for children will be entered on the RBSK and U-WIN portals. Subsequently, these platforms will be unified to create an ‘Anemia-Mukt Bharat Abhiyan’ (Anemia-Free India Campaign) portal, facilitating the monitoring, analysis, and improved planning of anemia-related services across the country.
