45% people who died in 2020 had no access to medical care: Report

As pandemic struck in 2020, non-Covid medical services were either suspended or reduced

In a grim revelation, data from the Civil Registration System for 2020 showed that over 45 per cent of all recorded deaths happened in absence of medical attention, according to a report by The Indian Express. This is the highest percentage recorded so far, revealing the inadequacies of the nation's healthcare system and its accessibility.

However, the reason for 2020’s higher percentage could be the Covid-19 pandemic. When the outbreak happened in India in 2020, all non-Covid-19 related medical services were either halted, or deferred; most hospital beds were reserved for Covid-19 patients. Owing to that, many couldn’t avail timely medical services for non-Covid illnesses.

For 2019, the percentage of deaths in India due to unavailability of medical services was 34.5 per cent. The report said this is largest single-year jump. Deaths under institutional care, however, declined from 28 per cent in 2020 as compared to 2019’s 32.1 per cent.

What is most concerning about these numbers is the sharp increase in the percentages over the past decade. In 2011, only 10 per cent of all recorded deaths were due to absence of healthcare. It would be prudent to keep in mind that less than 70 per cent of all deaths were registered in India at that time. As death registrations increased, the proportion of deaths outside of medical institutions also increased.

In 2017 and 2018, institutional deaths and those outside of medical access, were similar; in 2019, however, deaths due to inaccessibility of medical access increased. In 2020, the numbers were pushed higher still due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The data showed that overall 81.16 lakh deaths were registered in 2020 in India.