Mortality indicators show dismal state of healthcare: NHM

Sushil Manav

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Tribune News Service

Sirsa, August 6

Mortality indicators for Haryana on the Maternal and Infant Death Reporting System (MIDRS) of the National Health Mission (NHM) from April to June present a very dismal picture of the health services.

Of the 1.09 lakh live birth in the state in three months, 145 maternal deaths and 3,307 infant deaths have been witnessed.

Besides, 2,524 still births and 183 deaths of children in the age group of 1 to 5 were witnessed in the state during this period.

Mewat district recorded a very high maternal mortality rate (MMR) of 480 and infant mortality rate (IMR) of 117, which is much higher than Assam, Uttar Pradesh, Orissa, Rajasthan and Uttarakhand, which are considered the worst in the mortality indicators in the country.

Even districts such as Bhiwani, Jhajjar and Fatehabad have registered a very poor MMR of 263, 238 and 218, respectively.

During these three months, Haryana witnessed the MMR of 132, IMR of 30 and still birth rate (SBR) of 23.

The MMR, according to the definition given by the World Health Organisation, is number of maternal deaths per one lakh live births, while the IMR is number of deaths of children below the age of one year per 1,000 live births.

The dismal mortality figures were discussed with Deputy Commissioners, ADCs and Civil Surgeons of all districts of the state during a videoconferencing on the Beti Bachao Beti Padhao Abhiyan headed by Rakesh Gupta, Additional Principal Secretary to the CM.

Some others states such as Kerala (66), Maharashtra (87), Tamil Nadu (90), West Bengal (117) and Gujarat (112) have much better MMR than Haryana, as per figures of the sample registration system, registrar general of India, (SRS, RGI 2010 –12).

Kerala (12), Tamil Nadu (21), Maharashtra (24) and Punjab (26) have much better IMR (SRS, RGI – 2013).

“Infant mortality is often considered as an index of the state of public health, availability and accessibility of health care infrastructure, environmental sanitation, cultural and socio-economic development,” said Dr Rajeshwari, a professor of geography in Kurukshetra University.

She said it was generally believed that economic development was a cure of all such evils, but in case of Haryana, one wonders why it does not commensurate with its levels of development.

She said Kerala, which is much lesser economically developed state than Haryana, had an IMR of 11, which is among the best in the country.

S Narayanan, Mission Director of the NHM in Haryana, however, said the state had made improvement in the mortality indicators and was awarded third prize at the national level for the improvement in the MMR, neonate mortality rate (NMR) and total fertility rate (TFR) last year.

“The inputs of the SRS and RGI are not district specific and the data is not the latest, as the MMR is taken once in two or three years and the IMR every year. The NHM in Haryana has produced its own reporting system — MRDIS, where we have up to date data PHC specific data with us,” he said.

Narayanan said the millennium development goals (MDG) of the UN for Haryana are to bring the MMR and the IMR to 80 and 20, respectively, from 127 and 41 presently and serious efforts were being made in this direction.