The National Index for Performance on Health Outcomes was launched at Niti Aayog on Friday.

The index, spearheaded by NITI Aayog along with the health ministry, will nudge states towards transformative action in the health sector.

The features of the index, measures and methods of data submission will be disseminated to the states through workshops. The index has been developed over several months, with inputs from domestic and international experts. 

It includes indicators in the domains of health outcomes governance and information and a few key inputs and processes. This initiative is envisioned to bring about the much required improvements in social sector outcomes, which have not kept pace with the economic growth in this country. It will be used to propel action in the states to improve health outcomes and improve data collection systems.

Monitorable indicators that form a part of Sustainable Development Goal in Health have been included in order to align these initiatives. It is anticipated that this health index will assist in state level monitoring of performance, serve as an input for providing performance based incentives and improvement in health outcomes. 

A similar exercise has also been launched for the education and water sectors.