What This Means
India's Anaemia Mukt Bharat programme aims to test children and adolescents for anaemia, treat them, and track their progress. In practice, this has been hampered by low coverage of iron supplements, poor adherence, too few health workers, and inconsistent follow up. Programme data show that coverage of twice-weekly iron and folic acid supplements in children aged 6-59 months is lower than hoped.
To help, the authors reviewed national and international guidelines, checked their quality with a standard tool (AGREE II), searched the literature on key questions such as blood test thresholds and iron dosing, and refined the results with expert input. The product is two step-by-step algorithms, one for mild anaemia and one for moderate-to-severe anaemia, covering starting treatment, follow up, checking response, and deciding next steps. Haemoglobin is the first test used to identify anaemia. Ferritin and CRP, which help show iron stores and inflammation, are suggested for children who do not respond to treatment.
This research suggests that a standardised pathway could reduce variation in how anaemia is managed and improve continuity of care in the programme. However, the algorithms have not yet been tested in real-world settings, so their effect on outcomes is unknown. The authors say they need field validation in different settings.