Health Ministry Disputes Media Reports On Excess Mortality in India During 2020

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare denounced media reports that cite a study in Science Advances, terming its estimates of excess mortality in 2020 as 'untenable and unacceptable.' The Ministry criticized the study's methodology and stressed that India's robust Civil Registration System contradicts the claims made.

The Ministry of Health and Family Welfare has rebuffed media reports citing a study published in the journal Science Advances, which claimed excess mortality in India during 2020. The Ministry labeled these estimates as 'untenable and unacceptable' and criticized the study's methodology for being fundamentally flawed.

The Ministry's press release stated that the authors of the study based their analysis on an unrepresentative subset of households from the National Family Health Survey-5 (NFHS-5) and made erroneous extrapolations to the entire country. It emphasized that only a holistic view of the NFHS sample can represent national mortality rates.

Another critical flaw highlighted was the potential selection and reporting biases due to the data collection period coinciding with the COVID-19 pandemic peak. The Ministry underscored India's robust Civil Registration System (CRS), which recorded over 99% of deaths in 2020, surpassing earlier years. It dismissed claims that the vital registration system in low and middle-income countries is weak, citing substantial increases in death registrations in recent years.

The Ministry strongly disputed the reported excess mortality of 11.9 lakh in 2020, terming it a gross overestimate. It clarified that excess mortality during the pandemic encompasses all causes of death, not just COVID-19. Data from India's Sample Registration System aligned with this, showing no significant uptick in mortality in 2020 compared to 2019.

Contrary to the study's findings, India's data showed higher COVID-19 mortality in males and older age groups, not in females or younger individuals. The Ministry concluded that the study's methodology and results are flawed, rendering its claims untenable.

(With inputs from agencies.)