Just 43% of total TN deaths in 2020 medically certified: Census dept
Of all deaths registered in Tamil Nadu in 2020, only 43 per cent were medically certified, says the latest Report on Medical Certification of Cause of Death (MCCD), released annually by the Census Department.
The maximum number of deaths in Tamil Nadu in 2020 were due to circulatory diseases, followed by 9.4 per cent due to respiratory diseases.
COVID, a big issue back in 2020, caused nearly 2.8 per cent of the total deaths. Diabetes led to 5.9 per cent of the deaths, according to the MCCD.
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Based on the MCCD report, Tamil Nadu stands 11th in the country with respect to medically certifying its deaths. Though all deaths in the state in 2020 were registered, only 43 per cent were medically certified.
A step forward for Tamil Nadu
Compared to previous years, Tamil Nadu has fared better in 2020 with respect to providing details about deaths. As per the 2014 MCCD, Tamil Nadu stood at the 15th rank among 33 states. States like Maharashtra and Karnataka performed better than Tamil Nadu.
In 2020, Tamil Nadu saw 687212 deaths compared to 633897 deaths in 2019.
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According to the report, though there are a total of 7925 hospitals in the state which have in-patient facilities, only 2355 have been covered under the MCCD.
Reliable cause-specific mortality statistics
MCCD is considered crucial for obtaining reliable cause-specific mortality statistics which are crucial to administrators, policy planners, researchers etc., for evidence-based decision-making regarding resource allocation, monitoring of indicators, identifying the priorities for health programmes and other related activities in public health.
However, experts claim that there are enough provisions to certify the cause in as many as 70 per cent of the deaths.
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Faulty implementation by hospitals
“The problem lies in the faulty implementation by some hospitals. There are some who merely list the cause of death as old age without specifying the exact cause. We have been training several practitioners as part of the national programme, to accurately certify the cause of death,” said a health department official. He adds that the exact cause of death is important as it indicates the extent of success of public health programmes.
“Cause-specific data would provide a clearer indication of any shifting pattern. Currently, we are researching non-communicable diseases. A comprehensive data on hypertension and diabetes related deaths would help determine the programme we need to implement and its effective execution,” said the official.
