NYTimes World covers the MDS and captures the very human stories behind the process of gathering verbal autopsies for the Million Death Study. Each autopsy is its own small tragedy but documenting them and shedding light on the causes of death can help direct public health policies to alleviate the burden of disease and prevent premature mortality.
“MAGADI, India — M. R. Gundappa, 60, died the way most Indians do: with no doctor present, no monitors beeping by his side and no written record. The only person present was his wife, Sushilamma, 48, who spent the day of his death trying to get him admitted to a government hospital where he could be treated for abdominal pain…”
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