The correct answer is: a) Infant mortality rate.
Infant mortality rate is the number of deaths of infants under one year of age per 1,000 live births. It is a widely used indicator of the health of a population.
According to the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-5), the infant mortality rate in Odisha was 62 per 1,000 live births in 2019-20, which is higher than the national average of 35 per 1,000 live births.
There are a number of factors that contribute to the high infant mortality rate in Odisha, including:
- Poverty: A large proportion of the population in Odisha lives below the poverty line, which makes it difficult for families to access quality healthcare.
- Lack of access to healthcare: There is a shortage of doctors and other healthcare workers in Odisha, and many rural areas do not have access to basic healthcare facilities.
- Poor sanitation and hygiene: A large proportion of the population in Odisha does not have access to safe drinking water or sanitation facilities, which increases the risk of disease.
- Malnutrition: A high proportion of children in Odisha are malnourished, which makes them more vulnerable to disease and death.
The government of Odisha has taken a number of steps to reduce the infant mortality rate, including:
- Expanding access to healthcare: The government has built new hospitals and clinics, and has increased the number of doctors and other healthcare workers.
- Promoting awareness of health issues: The government has launched campaigns to raise awareness of health issues such as malnutrition and sanitation.
- Providing financial assistance to poor families: The government provides financial assistance to poor families to help them access healthcare.
Despite these efforts, the infant mortality rate in Odisha remains high. There is still a long way to go to improve the health of the population in Odisha.
The other options are also important health indicators, but they do not show as much of a disparity between Odisha and the national average as the infant mortality rate.
- Life expectancy is the average number of years that a person is expected to live. The life expectancy in Odisha is 68 years, which is slightly lower than the national average of 70 years.
- Vaccination coverage is the percentage of the population that has been vaccinated against certain diseases. The vaccination coverage in Odisha is 90%, which is higher than the national average of 85%.
- Access to healthcare services is the ability of people to get the healthcare they need when they need it. The access to healthcare services in Odisha is improving, but there are still some areas where people have difficulty accessing healthcare.