KARNATAKA’S ROADMAP TO IMPROVED HEALTH Cost effective solutions to address priority diseases, reduce poverty and increase economic growth Authors: S. Rao Seshadria*, P. Jhab, P. Satib, C. Gauvreaub, U. Ramb, R. Laxminarayanc Affiliations: aAzim Premji University, Bangalore, India; b Centre for Global Health Research, University of Toronto, Canada; c Public Health Foundation of India, New Delhi, India * S. Rao Seshadri. Email:
[email protected] EXECUTIVE SUMMARY This Report is based on research and analysis undertaken by the Centre for Global Health Research (CGHR) in collaboration with the Registrar General of India (RGI) and the Center for Disease Dynamics, Economics & Policy (CDDEP), applying cost-effectiveness methodologies developed in the context of the Disease Control Priorities Project – 2 (http://www.dcp-3) to data on causes of death in Karnataka. New data indicates that several hundred thousand people in Karnataka are dying prematurely from easily preventable causes. Using verbal autopsy methodology to rigorously follow up on and establish cause of death for deaths reported through the Sample Registration System, the main causes of death for people below the age of 70 in Karnataka from 2001-03 have been estimated as follows: • Of the approximately 48,044 children under the age of 5 in Karnataka who died in 2012, approximately 11,618 newborns died of prematurity & intra- uterine growth retardation, 4,860 died of neonatal infections, and 5,698 died of birth asphyxia & birth trauma before one month old. Approximately 3,749 children died of pneumonia and 3,628 died of diarrhoeal diseases. • In 2010, about 8,000 children between the ages 5-14 died of avertable causes.