Share of 0-4 age group in deaths at 5-year high in Gujarat

AHMEDABAD: Gujarat was among the ten worst states in the country in 2018 in terms of deaths in the 0-4 years age group, which accounted for 10% of all deaths, according to data released by Sample Registration System. The data for 2018 reveals that the state’s rural areas are the ninth worst in the country, with this age group accounting for 12.2% of all deaths.
The study, ‘Percentage Of Deaths In The Age Group 0-4 Years To Total Deaths By Residence, India And Bigger States/UTs, 2018’, states that at the national level, the share of this age group in total deaths is 12.8% in rural areas and 8.2% in urban areas.In rural areas, it ranges from 2.1% in Kerala to 21.9% in Madhya Pradesh, and in urban areas from 1.9% in Kerala to 15.7% in Uttar Pradesh.

The data revealed this age group accounted for a greater share of deaths in females, 10.7%, while the corresponding figure for males was 9.7%. In rural areas, these figures were 11.4% in males and 13.5% in females.
A former office-bearer of a paediatrics association said that there are multiple factors behind deaths at this age. “In the first month, besides infections, premature birth asphyxia is a major contributor to the death rate. An later stages, it is the lack of health facilities at the village and taluka levels,” he said. He said a great deal of the time, by the time the child is brought to the civil hospital or to a paediatrician, it is too late.
He said that even though there are several government schemes, such as the Mukhya Mantri Bal Sandharb Card, for newborn children, there is lack of awareness in rural areas. He said that invariably a local doctor — usually a bachelor of homeopathic medicine and surgery — will treat them first and only when their conditions worsen, will the children be referred to the civil hospital.
Gaurang Jani, a sociologist, said malnutrition rates are higher in rural areas and medical facilities are also not as advanced. “Kerala has set an example by strengthening its rural health facilities and death rates among children have come down drastically,” he said.
“In rural areas, there is also a greater preference for male children and all efforts are made to save boys, hence the death rate among girls is higher,” said Jani.