What is meant by mortality rate?

Being mortal or subject to death is characterised as being mortal. Immortality is the polar opposite of mortality. The frequency of death in a particular population is defined as mortality. Mortality definition is utilised as a factor of change in demographic out of all these other elements of demography such as demographic size, regional distribution and composition, and so on. The mortality rate is an indicator of mortality, which is one of the components of demography. Simply put, the rate of mortality definition indicates the death rate in a specific geographic area that causes changes in the demographics of that area. As a result, it is a crucial concept in demographic research.

The definition of mortality serves as the foundation for calculating mortality rates and estimating them. Mortality refers to the probability of death and susceptibility to death; thus, the rate of mortality, often known as the death rate, is a measurement of the number of deaths that occur in a given population per unit of time, scaled to the population’s size. This rate is used to calculate the number of deaths per 1000 people each year around the world. When the mortality rate is presented as 11.5, it signifies that 11.5 persons per 1000 people have died in a particular area for a certain population. It represents 1.15 percent of the overall population in percentage terms.

The number of deaths in India caused by pregnancy and delivery has been relatively high throughout the years, however current figures show that the MMR in India has been declining. Except in cases where thorough data on fatalities and causes of death are available, it is difficult to ascertain the actual maternal mortality rate. As a result, surveys and censuses are employed to assess maternal mortality rates.

RAMOS (Reproductive Age Mortality Studies) is now the best method for calculating MMR. Various sources and documents are analysed to obtain data on the deaths of women of reproductive ages, as well as to estimate the number of fatalities through verbal autopsy.

The Sample Registration Survey (SRS) in India is used to calculate the maternal death rate. In MARCH 2022, the Sample Registration System (SRS) of the Office of the Registrar produced a special bulletin on Maternal Mortality in India.

Observations based on the Survey 

• According to the special bulletin, India’s maternal deaths rate has decreased by ten points. The maternal mortality ratio (MMR) in India got better to 103 in 2017-19 from 113 in 2016-18, a decrease of 8.8%.
• This is in line with the MMR’s tendency of decreasing over time. With this continued drop, India is on track to meet the National Health Policy (NHP) goal of 100/lakh live births by 2020 and is almost guaranteed to meet the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) goal of 70/ lakh live births by 2030.
• At this time, seven states have met the Sustainable Development Goal (3.1) goal. This is an increase over the last study when just five states had met the goal.
• Currently, nine states have met the MMR objective established by the National Health Policy. 
• Despite improvements in the national average, maternal death rates in particular states continue to be high.
• In terms of absolute numbers, the states of Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Bihar have witnessed the greatest decrease in MMR. Despite the improvement, these states continue to have high MMRs.
• Uttar Pradesh had a 30 point drop, Rajasthan had a 23 point drop, and Bihar had a 23 point drop (19 points).
• In the states of Kerala, Maharashtra, and Uttar Pradesh, there has been a stunning drop of more than 15%.
• Kerala is the state with the lowest MMR, while Assam is the state with the highest MMR.
• In contrast to the national trend, states like West Bengal, Haryana, Uttarakhand, and Chhattisgarh have shown a rise in MMR since the last survey.

The Reasons for the High Maternal Mortality Rate

There are a variety of reasons why women in their reproductive years (18 to 39 years) die, which has increased maternal mortality rates. The following are some of the causes of the high number of women dying during pregnancy and childbirth:

1. Diseases are spreading.
2. Unawareness
3. Nutritional deficiency and a bad way of life
4. Haemorrhage
5. Inappropriate Care

MDG and SDG Results in Maternal Mortality Rate

The Millennium Development Goals were established by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for all UN member countries. The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) were a series of eight objectives aimed at improving the world’s and people’s futures. After a fifteen-year successful plan of the Millennium Development Goals, members of the United Nations took up the Sustainable Development Goals.

Since 1990, the Millennium Development Goals have been successful in decreasing poverty and cutting the infant death rate in half. According to the most recent report on Sustainable Development Goals for 2019, there has been a significant decrease in the number of deaths caused by pregnancy and childbirth around the world.

Usage in epidemiology

Because there are few, if any, techniques to collect exact mortality rates in the majority of cases, epidemiologists rely on estimates to forecast accurate mortality rates. Language challenges, health infrastructure problems, violence, and other factors make it difficult to forecast mortality rates. Stillbirths, abortions, and multiple births all provide unique hurdles when it comes to maternal mortality. A stillbirth was defined as “a birth of at least twenty weeks’ gestation in which the child exhibits no signs of life after entire birth” in several nations throughout the 1920s. A stillbirth, on the other hand, was defined in most nations as “the birth of a foetus after 28 weeks of pregnancy in which pulmonary breathing does not occur.”

Preventable mortality

This rate is significantly high for children under the age of five, especially in low-income developing countries. These youngsters have a substantially higher risk of dying from diseases that are now very avoidable in better-income countries. Malaria, respiratory diseases, diarrhoea, prenatal disorders, and measles kill more children in developing countries. Data demonstrates that these avoidable causes level out among the high and low-income nations after the age of five.

Conclusion

Mortality, defined as the state of being dead, is a significant criterion for assessing a society’s and a nation’s advancement. From impoverished to rich countries, the causes that affect death rates are the finest indications of the current state of human health and life. As a result, mortality is a crucial term in understanding a country’s demographic environment.