Maharashtra was one of the worst affected states in India during the first and second coronavirus (COVID-19) wave and Mumbai recorded a high number of cases due to several reasons during the pandemic. As per report released by the Praja foundation, a 12 per cent increase in deaths was recorded in 2020 in comparison to the data recorded in the previous years.
Meanwhile, the report, State of Health in Mumbai, released by the foundation o Tuesday, October 5, 2021, also showed that the registration of other important diseases dropped by 29 per cent during the pandemic, and this was due to the lack of accessibility to healthcare.
Analysts have said that this could also be one of the reasons behind the increase in mortality. The report states that a total of 112,906 deaths were recorded in 2020, whereas 91,223 deaths were reported in 2019. Of the total deaths in 2020, over 11,000 were because of coronavirus infection, and this has not been included in the percentage presented in the report.
Information regarding the same was published in the Hindustan Times. Director of Healis Sekhsaria Institute for Public Health, Mangesh Pednekar, during the launch said several citizens faced accessibility-related concerns during the pandemic, due to which healthcare facilities were not available for the ones in need. The report also shared that over 36 per cent people in the city struggled with the availability for non-COVID healthcare services during November and December 2020, and this concern is directly related to the drop in registrations of other important ailments affecting people in the city.
Below mentioned is the data collated by the foundation showing the drop in non-COVID related major health issues registrations during the pandemic
• Hypertension – 24 per cent
• Tuberculosis – 28 per cent
• Diabetes – 29 per cent
• HIV – 46 per cent
Praja Foundation has reported several reasons for the same and stated the need for proper public health policies which can resolve such concerns. Officials also stated that the break-up in data was not available as the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s Civil Registration System (CRS) access was not available during the pandemic. Moreover, the civic body focused on managing COVID-19 during the pandemic and this led to improper facilities for other ailments.
Suggestions have been offered to effectively improve health budget by breaking the same across all the 24 wards in Mumbai, thereby plan the health infrastructure as per the needs. Experts believe that this would help improve the facilities for the people and make the treatments available based on the demands in the respective areas.
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