Did USAID rig National Family Health Survey of India?
Most Indians are aware of Indian National Family Health Survey (NFHS). If you happened to watch some of serials in Colors TV Channel, then you may come across certain refereneces to statistics provided by National Family Healthy Survey. Most poeple do not question these statistics, their sources or the agencies which conducted this survey assuming that this survey is funded and conducted by Government of India.
Now, here is the shocking part, which is out open for everyone to see. The National Family Health Survey is not funded by Government of India. It is funded by United States. Now, its very natural that US or its International agency USAID will dictate the methods and priorities in the survey after all it is funding it. In short, it is not democratically elected Government of India, which decided what constitutes “Family health”, but its the vested interests who dictate our family policies.
About an year ago, India sent a spacecraft to Moon. Today, India is building massive Metro Railways, highways and international airports. Is India so much bankrupt that it has to take donations from USAID to conduct a survey on family health? Dal Mey Jaroor Kuch Kaala Hai (There is something wrong here).Is the US Government the right authority to teach us the “Family Values” and Family Health? Just think about massive crime rate in US and other problems like teenage preganancies and drug abuse due to single parenting in US. Now, Indian Govt wants to take lessons about Families from US. Now, it is obvious that US has twisted the various categories of health issues that need to be surveyed with ulterior motive of undermining the Family System in India.
The 2005-06 National Family Health Survey (NFHS-3) is the third in a series of national surveys; earlier NFHS surveys were carried out in 1992-93 (NFHS-1) and 1998-99 (NFHS-2). All three surveys were conducted under the stewardship of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India, with the International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, serving as the nodal agency. ORC Macro, Calverton, Maryland, USA, provided technical assistance for all three NFHS surveys. NFHS-1 and NFHS-2 were funded by the United States Agency for International Development, with supplemental funding from UNICEF. NFHS-3 funding was provided by the United States Agency for International Development, the Department for International Development (United Kingdom), the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, UNICEF, the United Nations Population Fund, and the Government of India. Assistance for the HIV component of the NFHS-3 survey was provided by the National AIDS Control Organisation and the National AIDS Research Institute.
Now, Let us see the Key Indicators of National Family Health Survey:
As written in the website of NFHS, they are:
- Marriage and Fertility.
- Family Planning.
- Maternal and Child Health
- Children Feeding Practice and Nutrtional Status of Children
- Nutritional Status of ever married Adults
- Anemia among Children and Adults
- Knowledge of HIV/AIDs among Ever Married Adults
- Women Empowerment
What’s wrong with these indicators? One has to ask a simple question. Who faces maximum health problems in India? Which segment of population really faces health problems? It is elderly population. This survey has not even considered sicknesses due to aging as an health issue. In stead, it considers Women’s Empowerment, Marriage and Fertility as health indicators. So, the entire Family Health Survey is a conspiracy by International Agencies to categorise women’s health issues as National Calamities as ignore all other health concerns.
Now, one can see why US funded the research and the survey. The agenda is to conduct a skewed survey and mislead people. The Government of Indian became a willing Dog wagging its tail to uncle Sam. Its sickening to see Govts and International agencies stoop to such low levels to further their narrow agendas. The Government of India run by old Patriarchal chauvinists in high positions every where on one hand swear by saving marriages at any cost (by denying divorce or the right to reproduce) and at the same time they follow dictates of US towards breaking family system by depending on surveys which mislead people.
It is very clear that Uncle Sam is dictating the “Family Policies” of Government of India. If there is family breaking and disharmony, then US and United Nations have a big role to play. UN has often propagated false statistics in Media about India. US funded many radical feminist organisations in India directly. The motive is to present Indian family system as oppressive so that the family system breaks. As joint familiies and nuclear families get converted into single parent families, the GDP and Consumption in India will increase. This will boost the economy, promote international brands and boost world economy. Its altogether another matter, when after some 15 years we see a rise in crime, drug abuse, teenage pregnancies due to a massive surge in fatherless children.
Its high time, the concerned citizens force the Govt and Media to dump the current national family health survey in Indian ocean and conduct another survey involving health of men, women, children and elders. This new survey must also take into account the health issues relatives to divorce, separation and abusive relationships. Its must also conduct the survey on elder abuse. The recommendations of this new survey has to be used to create the future policies related to family.
So far as US is concerned, it should mind its own business and tackle its massive crime rate (its double that of India) and issues like drug abuse, teenage pregnancies or massive number of spousal homicides. Govt of India must tell UNICEF and USAID to close down their offices in India and go home.