Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 73
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Deprecated (16384): The ArrayAccess methods will be removed in 4.0.0.Use getParam(), getData() and getQuery() instead. - /home/brlfuser/public_html/src/Controller/ArtileDetailController.php, line: 74
 You can disable deprecation warnings by setting `Error.errorLevel` to `E_ALL & ~E_USER_DEPRECATED` in your config/app.php. [CORE/src/Core/functions.php, line 311]
Warning (512): Unable to emit headers. Headers sent in file=/home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php line=853 [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 48]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 148]
Warning (2): Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/brlfuser/public_html/vendor/cakephp/cakephp/src/Error/Debugger.php:853) [CORE/src/Http/ResponseEmitter.php, line 181]
Notice (8): Undefined variable: urlPrefix [APP/Template/Layout/printlayout.ctp, line 8]news-alerts-57/average-indian-lives-longer-now-who-25061.html"/> NEWS ALERTS | Average Indian lives longer now: WHO | Im4change.org
Resource centre on India's rural distress
 
 

Average Indian lives longer now: WHO

The latest WHO report entitled World Health Statistics 2014 delineates the performance made on the health front by India vis-à-vis other nations between 1990 and 2012. It also presents the challenges that the new government at the Centre should try to resolve. In India, life expectancy at birth (both sexes, in years) has increased from 58 in 1990 to 66 in 2012. While life expectancy at birth for men rose from 57 in 1990 to 64 in 2012, the same for women rose from 58 in 1990 to 68 in 2012, says the report.

 

Similarly, life expectancy at age 60 (both sexes, in years) rose from 15 in 1990 to 17 in 2012. While life expectancy at age 60 for men rose from 14 in 1990 to 16 in 2012, the same for women rose from 16 in 1990 to 18 in 2012. It can be discerned from table 1 that life expectancy at birth during 2012 in India still lagged behind that in Brazil, China and Sri Lanka.

Table

 

Source: World Health Statistics 2014,

 

A large number of factors are responsible for the improvement in life expectancy of Indians that includes decline in both child mortality rate and maternal mortality ratio.

The new WHO report reveals that the average annual rate of decline (AARD) in Under-five Mortality Rate between 1990 and 2012 was 56 percent in India as compared to 14 percent in China, 41 percent in Bangladesh, 42 percent in Nepal, 10 percent in Sri Lanka and 86 percent in Pakistan.

Under-five Mortality Rate (probability of dying by age 5 per 1000 live births, both sexes) in India declined from 126 in 1990 to 92 in 2000 and further to 56 in 2012. Similarly, Infant Mortality Rate (probability of dying by age 1 per 1000 live births, both sexes) declined from 88 in 1990 to 67 in 2000 and further to 44 in 2012. Neonatal Mortality Rate (probability of dying in the first month of life, expressed per 1,000 live births) at the national level (both sexes) fell from 51 in 1990 to 31 in 2012.

The number of deaths among children below 5 years age has declined from 24.17 lakh in 2000 to 14.07 lakh in 2012. The main causes of deaths among Indian children below 5 years of age in 2012 are diarrhoea (11 percent), acute respiratory infections (14 percent), prematurity (27 percent), Intrapartum-related complications (11 percent), neonatal sepsis (8 percent), congenital anomalies (6 percent), injuries (4 percent), measles (2 percent) and other diseases (16 percent). The WHO report reveals that measles immunization coverage among 1 year olds in India is less than the target of 90% coverage by 2015 as was set at the 2010 World Health Assembly.

The average annual rate of decline (AARD) in maternal mortality ratio between 1990 and 2013 was 190 percent in India as compared to 32 percent in China, 170 percent in Bangladesh, 190 percent in Nepal, 29 percent in Sri Lanka and 170 percent in Pakistan. Maternal mortality ratio (defined as the number of maternal deaths per 1 lakh live births) has declined from 560 in 1990 to 370 in 2000 and further to 190 in 2013.

The percentage of births attended by skilled health personnel in India is less than the target of 90% coverage by 2015 as was set by the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD+5). The percentage of births attended by skilled health personnel was 67 percent during 2006-2013.

The percentage of women who received antenatal care from skilled health personnel at least once and at least four times during pregnancy are both less than the target of 100% coverage by 2015 as was set by the International Conference on Population and Development (ICPD+5). The percentage of women who received antenatal care from skilled health personnel at least once was 75 percent and at least 4 times was 50 percent during 2006-2013.

The average annual rate of decline (AARD) in HIV prevalence (i.e. HIV infections per 1 lakh population per year) between 2001 and 2012 was 169 percent in India as compared to 5 percent in Bangladesh, 177 percent in Nepal, 14 percent in Sri Lanka and 48 percent in Pakistan.

The average annual rate of decline (AARD) in tuberculosis mortality rate between 1990 and 2012 was 22 percent in India as compared to 3.2 percent in China, 45 percent in Bangladesh, 20 percent in Nepal, 1.1 percent in Sri Lanka and 34 percent in Pakistan.

 


The key findings of the report World Health Statistics 2014 are as follows:

 

Indian scenario

* Total expenditure on health as % of gross domestic product has declined from 4.3 percent in 2000 to 3.9 percent in 2011.

* General government expenditure on health as % of total expenditure on health has increased from 26.0 percent in 2000 to 30.5 percent in 2011.

* Private expenditure on health as % of total expenditure on health has fallen from 74.0 percent in 2000 to 69.5 percent in 2011.

* General government expenditure on health as % of total government expenditure has increased from 7.4 percent in 2000 to 8.2 percent in 2011.

* Social security expenditure on health as % of general government expenditure on health has declined from 18.3 percent in 2000 to 15.8 percent in 2011.

* Out-of-pocket expenditure as % of private expenditure on health has declined from 91.8 percent in 2000 to 86.3 percent in 2011.

* Per capita government expenditure on health (PPP int. $) has increased from 17 in 2000 to 44 in 2011.

* Per capita total expenditure on health (PPP int. $) has increased from 66 in 2000 to 146 in 2011.

* Density of health workforce (per 10000 population) during 2006-2013 are: physicians-7.0, nursing and midwifery personnel-17.1, dentistry personnel-1.0, pharmaceutical personnel-5.0.

* Hospital beds per 10000 population during 2006-12 was 7.

* Percentage of population using improved drinking-water sources was 70 percent in 1990, 81 percent in 2000 and 93 percent in 2012.

* Percentage of population using improved sanitation was 18 percent in 1990, 25 percent in 2000 and 36 percent in 2012.

* While Adult Mortality Rate (probability of dying between 15 and 60 years of age per 1000 population) among men fell from 288 in 1990 to 242 in 2012, the same for women declined from 242 in 1990 to 160 in 2012.

* The number of reported cases of leprosy was 134752, malaria was 1067824, measles was 18668, pertussis was 44154 and tuberculosis was 1289836 during 2012 in India.

* Immunization coverage among 1 year olds for measles was 74 percent, for DTP3 was 72 percent and for HepB3 was 70 percent during 2012.

* Percentage of children aged 6-59 months who received vitamin A supplementation was 16 percent during 2006-2013.

 


Global scenario

 

* Between 2000 and 2012, measles deaths worldwide have been cut by almost 80% - from 562 000 to 122 000 deaths.

* Human African trypanosomiasis (commonly known as sleeping sickness) is at its lowest level in 50 years, with fewer than 10 000 cases of infection reported in 2009.

* The risk of a child dying before their fifth birthday is 8 times higher in the WHO African Region than a child in the WHO European Region.

* Nearly 800 women die every day due to complications in pregnancy and childbirth.

* More than 2.5 billion people worldwide are estimated to be at risk of dengue infection.

* In the WHO Western Pacific Region, almost one in two adult men smoke tobacco.

* In 2012, more than 140 000 people in high-income countries had pertussis (whooping cough), a serious disease in infants that is preventable by vaccination.

* High-income countries have an average of almost 90 nurses and midwives for every 10 000 people while some low-income countries have fewer than 2 per 10 000 people.

* People everywhere are living longer, mostly because fewer children are dying, certain diseases are in check, and tobacco use is down, but conditions in low-income countries continue to plague life quality there.

* Nearly 18,000 children worldwide died every day in 2012, according to the findings, with large inequities remaining in child mortality between high-income and low-income countries. There is still a major rich-poor divide: people in high-income countries continue to have a much better chance of living longer than people in low-income countries.

* A girl born in 2012 can expect to live around 73 years and a boy to the age of 68. That is six years longer than the average life span for a child in 1990.

* Women live longer than men in general, but in high-income countries the difference is around six years, while in low-income countries, the average falls to three years. A girl born in 2012 in a high-income country can expect to live to the age of around 82, which is 19 years longer than a girl born in a low-income country. The difference for boys is 16 years.

* In high-income countries, much of the gain in life expectancy is due to success in tackling noncommunicable diseases.

* With one year to go until the 2015 target date for achieving the anti-poverty targets known as the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), substantial progress has been made on many health-related goals.

* The global target of halving the proportion of people without access to improved sources of drinking water was met in 2010, with remarkable progress also having been made in reducing child mortality, improving nutrition, and combating HIV, tuberculosis and malaria.

* Geographically, women in Japan live the longest, with an average life expectancy of 87 years, followed by Spain, Switzerland and Singapore at 85 years. The average lifespan of men is highest in Iceland at 81 years.

* Life expectancy for both men and women is still less than 55 years in nine sub-Saharan African countries, including Angola, Central African Republic, Chad, Côte d'Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Lesotho, Mozambique, Nigeria and Sierra Leone.

 


References:

 

World Health Statistics 2014, http://www.who.int/gho/publications/world_health_statistic
s/2014/en/

Life expectancy rising, but UN report shows ‘major' rich-poor longevity divide persists, The United Nations, 15 May, 2014 

 


 

 

Maternal mortality, World Health Organization, 

 

Neighbours outperform India on maternal health

 


 

 

Maternal Mortality down but nowhere close to MDG target 

 

 


 

India sees most maternal deaths: UN, IANS, The Business Standard, 7 May, 2014 

 


 

India saw 50,000 maternal deaths in 2013-Nikita Mehta, Live Mint, 6 May, 2014

India has highest number of maternal deaths -Tabassum Barnagarwala, The Indian Express, 7 May, 2014 

Maternal death rates fall but chronic diseases increase pregnancy risk, The United Nations, 6 May, 2014 

Life expectancy has soared globally since 1990: WHO-Nikita Mehta, Live Mint, 15 May, 2014 

Fixing India's healthcare system-AK Shiva Kumar, Live Mint, 13 May, 2014 

 


 

Unsatisfactory decline in child mortality: SRS 2012 

India's MDG Score Card: Glass Half Full or Half Empty? 

 

Image Courtesy: World Health Statistics 2014