Discuss how NFHS-6 findings reflect the effectiveness of India's primary healthcare strengthening initiatives.

The National Family Health Survey-6 (2023-24), covering nearly 6.79 lakh households across 715 districts, offers fresh evidence that India's investment in primary and preventive healthcare — through the National Health Mission, Ayushman Bharat and Poshan Abhiyaan — is yielding measurable gains [1][2].

Maternal health and safe motherhood

• Institutional deliveries rose from 88.6% to 90.6%, and antenatal care coverage from 92.6% to 95.9%, reflecting stronger last-mile delivery via public facilities [1].
• First-trimester ANC registration (70.0%→76.2%) and ≥4 ANC visits (58.5%→65.2%) signal earlier, sustained contact with the primary health system [1].

Child health and immunization

• Full immunization improved from 83.8% to 87.1%, with 95.6% of children vaccinated at public facilities and rotavirus coverage more than doubling — evidence of an effective Universal Immunization Programme [1].

Nutrition and financial protection

• Stunting fell by 17% and severe wasting by 32%, though under-nutrition remains a lagging indicator needing convergent action [1].
• Health-financing scheme coverage nearly doubled (41.0%→60.2% of households), reducing catastrophic out-of-pocket expenditure under Ayushman Bharat-PMJAY [1].

Persisting gaps

• Full immunization (87.1%) still trails near-universal "any vaccine" coverage, and slower nutrition gains reveal uneven district-level delivery [1].

Overall, NFHS-6 validates that strengthening the primary healthcare tier — through preventive, community-anchored services — drives improved health outcomes. Sustaining this trajectory demands convergence with nutrition and financial-protection schemes, advancing India toward SDG-3 and universal health coverage.