Covid Pandemic Impact, Dips Sex Ration In The National Capital: Government Report

Since the Covid-19 pandemic began, Delhi has experienced a severe decline in its sex ratio, dropping from 933 in 2020 to 922 in 2023.

The ‘Annual Report on Registration Births and Deaths-2023’ from the Delhi government’s Planning Department reveals that the sex ratio for institutional births decreased from 922 in 2022 to 915 in 2023. In contrast, the sex ratio for home births (domiciliary) increased from 1,037 in 2022 to 1,077 in 2023.

The report also highlights a slight decrease in the infant mortality rate. In 2022, there were 23.82 infant deaths per thousand live births, which fell to 23.61 in 2023. Similarly, the maternal mortality rate saw a decrease from 0.49 per thousand live births in 2022 to 0.45 in 2023.

Officials noted that there has been an issue with hospitals and institutions not consistently reporting stillbirths to the Registrar of Births and Deaths (B&D). The Chief Registrar’s office has issued guidelines to hospital administrators to ensure that all vital events, including stillbirths, are reported within the required 21-day period.

Rise in Birth and Death Rates

The report also indicates an increase in both birth and death rates in 2023 compared to the previous year:

– The birth rate rose to 14.66 per thousand population in 2023, up from 14.24 in 2022. This translates to an average of 863 births per day in 2023, compared to 823 per day in 2022.
– The total number of births registered in 2023 was 315,000, an increase from 300,000 in 2022. Of these, 52.02% were male and 47.96% were female.

The Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) registered 2.71 lakh births (86.06% of the total), the New Delhi Municipal Council (NDMC) recorded 40,515 births (12.86%), and the Delhi Cantonment Board (DCB) accounted for 3,414 births (1.08%).

“It has been observed that the proportion of institutional births in Delhi has exceeded 90% for six consecutive years, largely due to various government initiatives promoting institutional deliveries for better maternal and child health. However, additional efforts are needed to achieve 100% institutional delivery,” the report stated.

*  The death rate per thousand population increased to 6.16 in 2023, up from 6.07 in 2022. On average, there were 363 deaths per day in 2023, compared to 351 in 2022.
*  A total of 132,000 deaths were registered in 2023, up from 128,000 in 2022. Among these, 7,439 were infant deaths.

Of the total deaths, 61.56% were male and 38% female. The MCD accounted for 73.45% of all registered deaths, while the NDMC’s share was 25.16%, and the DCB’s share was 1.39%.

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