Health and Mortality Issues in Delhi: Some Results

Abstract

This paper describes the morbidity-mortality situation in Delhi using information from the National Family Health Survey (NFHS) held in 1993. Health and mortality issues in the paper are discussed at two levels. It begins with the question as to why a mere description of mortality or its reduction may not suffice in explaining the health status of a population. The level of morbidity and its effects on the quality of life need to be examined. This is followed by a discussion on emerging issues of health and mortal ity in Delhi and a few selected states. The paper inter alia concludes: (a) disease preva lence is generally higher among the aged-which suggests an overtime increase in the demand for medical services by them; (b) among the states analysed, disease prevalence is the lowest in Haryana, followed by Delhi; (c) problems of partial and complete blind ness are relatively high among children in Delhi, and mortality among males above the age of 50 in Delhi is considerably higher than in the states compared; (d) females are not essentially morbid; (e) probability of childhood mortality declines substantially with mothers' literacy and their age at birth; (f) Muslims suffer more from infant sur vival risk than others-child mortality is, however, lower among them; and (g) low age and frequent pregnancies endanger a mother's life during childbirth.