Why in news?

The World Health Organization (WHO) recently released the World Health Statistics Overview 2019.

What are the highlights?

• For men and women combined, average life-expectancy has increased by 5½ years since the turn of the century.
• It has increased from 66.5 years in 2000 to 72 years in 2016.
• On the other hand, “healthy” life expectancy (number of years lived in full health) increased from 58.5 years in 2000 to 63.3 years in 2016.
• In 2019, more than 141 million children will be born - 73 million boys and 68 million girls.
• Based on recent mortality risks the boys will live, on average, 69.8 years and the girls 74.2 years, which is a difference of 4.4 years.
• Likewise, life expectancy at age 60 years is also greater for women (21.9 years) than men (19.0 years).
• Overall, women outlive men everywhere.
• Whether it’s homicide, road accidents, suicide, cardiovascular disease, men are doing worse than women.
• Global suicide mortality rates were 75% higher in men than in women in 2016.
• Death rates from road injury are more than twice as high in men as in women from age 15.
• Mortality rates due to homicide are 4 times higher in men than in women.

• Country-wise discrepancy - There is 18.1-year gap in life expectancy between poorest and richest countries.
• The report also indicates that the life expectancy gap is narrowest where women lack access to health services.
• Maternal deaths contribute “more than any other cause” to reducing female life expectancy.
• Here too, the risk of maternal death is hugely different between high-income and low-income countries.
• Notably, one in 41 women dies from a maternal cause in a low-income country.
• In contrast, only one in 3,300 women die from a maternal cause in a high-income setting.
• In more than 90% of low-income countries, there are fewer than 4 nursing and midwifery personnel per 1000 people.

What are the possible reasons?

• The report attributes the discrepancy between men and women to differing attitudes to healthcare between them.
• E.g. in countries with generalised HIV epidemics, men are less likely than women to take an HIV test
• Hence men are less likely to access antiretroviral therapy and more likely to die of AIDS-related illnesses than women.
• The same principle applies for tuberculosis sufferers, with male patients less likely to seek care than women.
• So men are much more likely to die from preventable and treatable non-communicable diseases.