Why States from South have so few COVID-19 Deaths compared to rest?

South India contributes to 17% of all COVID-19 Cases in the Country. They make up for 20% of all recovery cases.

However, South India makes up for just 6.6% of the National COVID-19 deaths.

These results are particularly intriguing because the Median age in the South is closer to 30 years of age versus National media age of 24. Older population are more vulnerable to COVID-19

Why is the death rate so low?

  1. South is Testing More: The 5 Southern States together carried out 34% of the National Tests. One must add that Telangana is a bit of a laggard here
  2. More Doctors in the South: Out of the 10.41 lakh doctors registered with the MCI, 36% are registered in the South. While more doctors is not necessarily equal to better healthcare, fewer number doctors is always going to be a problem. Bengal has 66900 doctors for a population of 92 million, Tamil Nadu alone has 126399 with much lesser population
  3. More Public Hospital Beds in the South: There are 7.4 lakhs GOVERNMENT hospital beds across the country. The Southern States together made up for 33% of all the GOVERNMENT Hospital beds in the country. This is on top of a private sector healthcare system that is used only by the Middle Class

In sum, a better healthcare system across the Southern States enabled the Southern States manage death rates much better than most other States. But South is not the only region that has managed well. Punjab, Haryana, J&K, Bihar and Odisha have all kept Death rates in Control. Most of these States have planned better with limited resources, some have been blessed with more resources. With Ayushman Bharat getting implemented across the country, it won’t be long before, India can offer the same healthcare quality across the country.