Field investigators begin training for family health survey

Bengaluru: A total of 105 field investigators will undergo training at the Institute for Social and Economic Change (ISEC) at Nagarbhavi to conduct the sixth round of the National Family Health Survey (NFHS-6) in south Karnataka. Most of these investigators arrived at the ISEC campus to attend the inaugural event on Thursday.

This follows the state-level mapping and listing activity across 15 districts in south Karnataka that was completed in December. Over the next 28 days, they will be trained to collect detailed information under household, men’s, women’s, and biomarker questionnaires. 

“The main survey is expected to begin by February 23 and will be completed within 3 to 3.5 months,” said Dr C M Lakshmana, Project Director NFHS-6, South Karnataka. A team of seven field investigators will visit 22 households every day, he noted, adding that fifteen such teams will simultaneously cover over 13,200 households across 15 districts within the stipulated period.

Speaking at the inaugural event, D Randeep, Commissioner, Health and Family Welfare Department, emphasised the importance of cohesive family and health data collected through the survey. “Data is what drives our decisions today. As policymakers, we have to make choices about how to prioritise budgets and what schemes to fund. Such data collected will help us make informed choices and push for outcome-based programs,” he said.

Anil Kumar T K, Principal Secretary, Health & Family Welfare Department, who joined the event virtually, highlighted the need for comprehensive and recent data for budgetary allocation for schemes that benefit the public.

Economist and educationist Prof Sukhadeo Thorat, Dr B S Pushpalatha, Director, Health and Family Welfare Services, Prof Dhananjay Bansod, Principal Investigator, NFHS-6, South Karnataka and Professor, Population Studies, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS) Mumbai, Prof D Rajasekher, Director, ISEC, were among those present at the event.