State registers marginal rise in mortality among men

The State registered a marginal rise in mortality rate among men and reported a decline among women in 2011 according to the Sample Registration System (SRS) statistical report 2011, prepared by the office of Registrar General of India.

While 8.2 men per 1,000 died in 2011 as against 7.7 men per 1,000 in 2010, which, incidentally was higher than the national average of 7.8 men per 1,000, the death rate among women in 2011 was 5.9 per 1,000 as against 6.6 per 1,000 in 2010.

According to the report, in 2011, around five lakh men from the State’s population died while the number of women was around three lakh.’ The report observes that “the female death rate is lower than male death rate both in rural and urban areas.”

The national male death rate, in 2011, was 7.8, while for females it was 6.3. The states with lowest death rates are Delhi (4.3), Jammu and Kashmir (5.5), West Bengal (6.2) and Maharashtra (6.3) and those with higher death rates are Odisha (8.5), Madhya Pradesh (8.2) and Assam (8.0).

It also mentions that death rates in about eight states are higher than or equal to the national level of 7.1 per 1,000. These are Andhra Pradesh (7.5), Assam (8.0), Chhattisgarh (7.9), Karnataka (7.1), Madhya Pradesh (8.2), Odisha (8.5), Uttar Pradesh (7.9) and Tamil Nadu (7.4).

This number is considerably higher in the rural areas of the State where 8 per 1,000 died, while in urban areas the number was 5.4 per 1,000. That means, around 4.89 lakh people died in rural areas and around three lakh died in urban Karnataka.

This variation in the urban and rural areas is true to the whole of the country. “The Crude Death Rate (CRD) at National level varies from 7.6 in rural areas to 5.7 in urban areas. Among bigger states, it varies from 4.3 in Delhi to 8.5 in Odisha.”

It can further be seen that, the crude death rate at all India level declined significantly from 14.9 to 12.5 during 1971 to 1981 and thereafter from 9.8 to 7.1 during 1991 to 2011. The various measures of mortality published under SRS are Crude Death Rate, Under-five Mortality Rate, Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) Age Specific Mortality Rates and still birth rate in all states. It also reveals fertility rate of the country and all states.
 
The national fertility indicator stands at 88.9 per cent for rur al population and 62.0 for urban and in Karnataka this number is 70.3 per cent and 58.2 per cent respectively,
both far less than the national level.

The State fares well in the category of “percent of live births where mothers received medical attention at delivery either at government hospitals or at private hospitals.”  
The number in 2010 was 83.1 per cent in rural areas which went up to 85.9 per cent. And in urban areas the 2010 number of 90.9 per cent leaped to 93.6 per cent.

New Delhi marked the lowest death rate of 4.3 per 1000 and 53.5 per cent patients received medical attention before death. In Karnataka this number was 40.0 per cent, in Himachal Pradesh it was 58.8 per cent. Kerala has topped this list with 73.5 per cent.

Nationally, 34.2 per cent people got medical attention before death. In Odisha, which has the highest death rate in the country, medical help was extended to 25 per cent of such patients in 2011.