Disability data will not change very fast and there is no reason to collect this data every three years, said the Health Ministry, in response to criticism over the exclusion of disability-related questions in the sixth round of National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6) which is set to begin shortly.
Stating that the primary focus of NFHS is maternal and child health, the Department of Health and Family Welfare (Statistics Division) said that the Survey won’t be able to collect accurate data on disability in its current form. It pointed to the disparity in disability data collected by NFHS and National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) and asserted that “it is not possible to capture the all-India extent of disability” through NFHS and warned about the risk of “significantly underestimating the prevalence of disability”.
Also read: National Family Health Survey says women outnumber men
