NT Reporter
Panaji
Goa has reported the fourth highest morbidity rate in the country at 18.7%, higher than the national average of 13.1%, according to the findings of the 80th Round ‘Household Social Consumption: Health’ report by the National Statistics Office (NSO). According to the report, 18.7% of persons responded as ailing during the last 15-day period. The rate was higher in rural areas, where 23.1% reported illness, compared to 15.5% in urban areas.
As part of the survey, 256 households and 1,040 persons across 16 villages and 16 urban blocks were covered in the state.
The state recorded a hospitalisation rate of 31 cases per 1,000 persons (excluding childbirth) over a 365-day period. The rate was higher among males, with 35 cases per 1,000 persons, compared to females with 28 cases per 1,000 persons.
The report stated that 64.7% of hospitalised cases were treated at government or public hospitals, higher than the all-India average of 36.7%, while 35.4% were treated at private hospitals. In urban areas, 68.3% of cases were treated at government or public hospitals.
The average medical and non-medical expenditure per hospitalisation case (excluding childbirth) was Rs 28,669. The report stated that the average out-of-pocket medical expenditure (OOPME) for a single hospitalisation was Rs 23,666.
It highlighted a difference in costs between institutions, with the average OOPME in public hospitals at Rs 1,637, while in private hospitals it was Rs 63,955.
Maternity care indicators for Goa showed high levels of coverage, with 100% of pregnant women aged 15–49 receiving antenatal care in both rural and urban areas. Post-natal care reached 100% in urban areas and 95% in rural areas.
The report stated that institutional deliveries accounted for the majority of childbirths. In rural Goa, 53.5% of childbirths occurred in public hospitals and 46.5% in private hospitals.
In urban Goa,
59.4% occurred in public hospitals and 33.5% in private hospitals.
