Has the Public Health System Provided Adequate Financial Risk Protection for Child Birth Conditions – Evidences From an Eastern Indian State

Document Type : Short Communication

Authors

Indian Institute of Public Health Bhubaneswar (IIPHB), Bhubaneswar, India

Abstract

Over the years, national and sub-national governments have introduced several initiatives to improve access to maternal and child health services in India. However, financial barriers have posed major constraints. Based upon the data of National Family Health Survey (NFHS) round 4 for Odisha state, our paper examines the out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) borne by households for accessing maternal and child healthcare services in a low resource setting of India. We have interpreted results of NFHS-4 by drawing inferences from literature for understanding the rising OOPE in the public health system. Findings suggests that OOPE is considerably high for maternal and child health conditions in Odisha and ranks fifth, despite the coverage of 72% women under Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), a condition cash transfer scheme with majority utilizing the public health system. The high OOPE on child delivery raises numerous pertinent questions about the effectiveness of the public health delivery system, and thus requires financial protection in the interest of the population that accesses public health systems in the state.

Keywords

Main Subjects


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Volume 8, Issue 3
March 2019
Pages 145-149
  • Receive Date: 08 February 2018
  • Revise Date: 06 November 2018
  • Accept Date: 11 November 2018
  • First Publish Date: 01 March 2019