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Utilisation of Health Care in India: An Empirical Study Based on National Family Health Survey-2
Authors: Majumder, Amlan
Source: Asian-African Journal of Economics and Econometrics, December 2006, v. 6, iss. 2, pp. 149-61
Topic(s): Health care utilization
Country: Asia
  India
Published: DEC 2006
Abstract: Abstract: Utilisation of public health facilities in India is very low. This may be either due to the reasons associated with the supply-side economics of health care or due to the reasons associated with the demand-side or due to the reasons associated with the both. The present study utilises data from National Family Health Survey-2 (NFHS-2), and does an analysis of health care economy in India to examine preciously how demand for public as well as private health care services is affected by various socio-economic and demographic characteristics, and other health service system related factors. The study revealed that utilisation of public health facilities varies sharply according to individual, household, and social characteristics and institutional factors. Demand for public health care declines sharply with economic status of a household. It seems that public health care, in Indian context, is an inferior commodity. When we concentrate on quality of care, we see that private health facilities remain far ahead of their public counterparts. Probably quality of care is the most crucial factor, any improvement in it may rejuvenate the public health care system again.