AEGiS-Bangkok Post: STATISTICS: Aids shame hurts accuracy of death papers, study finds Kin of the deceased don't give real cause

Important note: Information in this article was accurate in 2001. The state of the art may have changed since the publication date.

STATISTICS: Aids shame hurts accuracy of death papers, study finds Kin of the deceased don't give real cause

Bangkok Post - February 1, 2001
Aphaluck Bhatiasevi

At least 25% of death certificates issued in the country are not accurate because of the Aids problem, the Public Health Ministry was told yesterday.

A study by Dr Chanpen Chupraphawan of Health Systems Research Institute has shown that heart failure, accidents and cancer were identified as the three major causes of death but up to 70% of the deaths were not reported at hospitals.

Nitaya Mahabhol, the ministry spokesperson, said a major cause of this inaccuracy was that relatives of victims who died of Aids-related ailments were reluctant to report the real cause of death.

In addition, the 30% of deaths handled by hospitals are sometimes not accurately reported, indicating there were cases where patients' deaths were recorded as brain injury instead of accident, because the patients died of brain damage caused by an accident.

The study conducted on the basis of information obtained from 23,862 death cases which occurred in six major provinces also showed that tuberculosis was the major cause of death among people with HIV/Aids.

Also, lung cancer was the major cause of death among cancer patients and motorcycles were the leading cause of death among accident victims.

Ms Nitaya said discussions have been held with the Interior Ministry to authorise hospitals, instead of district offices, to issue death certificates.

A trial is being carried out in nine provinces whereby all deaths have to be reported to hospitals before approaching the district office for death certificates.

Ms Nitaya said hospitals would have to conduct a "verbal autopsy" by questioning relatives and looking into the medical history of the deceased.
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