Reporting system for cause of death in India (Major findings) & recent incorporation of verbal autopsy method in sample registration system: A powerful tool for reliable mortality information

Reliable information regarding Cause of Death is extremely useful for setting priorities in the health sector. Currently there are two schemes for monitoring cause of death in india (a) Survey of Causes of Death based on lay reporting from rural India and (b) Medical Certification of Cause of Death from largely big hospitals and mostly from urban areas. The causes are assigned as per International Classification of Diseases. However, there are serious lacunae in both the schemes. Recently Sample Registration System (SRS) which has been efficiently providing good quality data on health indicators has stated collecting information on causes of death since 1999 using Verbal Autopsy (VA) method. Verbal autopsy is an investigation of train of events, circumstances, symptoms and signs of illness leading to death through an interview of relatives or associates of the deceased. It is hoped that valid and reliable data on causes of death shall be available to policy makers and planners which is an absolute necessity for improvement of health services in India.