BR AND DR IN PUNJAB

While the birth rate in the state has come down significantly, the death rate has been moving upward for past few years. Interestingly, the death rate is going up both in the urban as well as in the rural areas. However, the death rate is higher in the rural areas. This is happening despite the wide network of civil and private hospitals in the state.
Data provided by the office of the Director, Health Services and Family Welfare, has revealed that the death rate has gone up to eight per thousand in 2008 from 6.9 per thousand in 2004 in the rural areas. The death rate of 6.9 per thousand was the lowest figure recorded in the rural areas in the past two decades. In the urban areas, it has gone up to six per thousand in 2008 from 5.6 per thousand in 2004. However, the overall death rate, including urban and rural areas, was recorded at 7.2 per thousand in 2008 in the state.
Though the figures for 2009 were not available officially, sources said that there had been a minor decline in the death rate during this year. In the rural areas, the death rate was recorded 7.8 per thousand in 2009 whereas in urban areas it was 5.8 per thousand.That was slightly less than the figures recorded in 2008. However, the figure of death rate of 2009 is much higher than the lowest figures recorded in this regard in 2004.
Diseases such as heart ailments, cancer, sugar and accidents have become major killers in the state. The Malwa belt has become highly prone to diseases like cancer. Accidents claim about 3,600 lives in a year in the state.
The average birth rate came down to 17.3 per thousand in 2008 in the state. In the rural areas, it was recorded 18 per thousand. In the urban area, it was 16.1 per thousand. In 1990, the state’s overall birth rate was 27.7 per thousand. Likewise, the infant mortality rate has also come down. It was recorded 41 per thousand in 2008 whereas it was 61 per thousand in 1990. As compared to urban areas, where it was 33 per thousand in 2008, in the rural areas it was 45 per thousand, which is significantly on the higher side. However, Punjab’s performance in the infant mortality rate is bad as compared to Kerala and some other states.