Interstate Level Comparison of People’s Health Status and the State of Public Health Care Services in India

Abstract

Health is an essential component of economic development and there is a strong correlation between health of human population and societal well-being. We cannot just think of the development of the human capital without the development of health and education of the people. However, it is found that although India has made large gains on the health front of its population, there exist wide variations between and within states. While states such as Kerala, Punjab and Tamil Nadu have a very developed health sector and the health indicators of these states are comparable to those of developed middle-income countries, states such as Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Uttar Pradesh, Odisha, etc., are almost at the level of Sub-Saharan Africa. By using a few of the key health indicators the present article makes a critical analysis of the health status of people in the 17 major states of India, the ongoing health development programmes and the present state of public health care services in different parts of the country. The article further delves into an arena of specific policy intervention measures that are required to be undertaken in order to increase the health status of people.

Multi-dimensional health indices in India: A review of literature

“…Meher & Patro (2016) created Composite Health Development Index (CHDI) to highlight the trends and levels of disparities in health status of population at State level. 18 Using secondary sources of data such as National Family Health Survey (NFHS II and NFHS III), District Level Household Survey (DLHS), Census reports, Sample Registration System (SRS) data, Statistical Abstract of India and Health Statistics data of the states and central governments, they analyzed health status of people, health development programmes and public health services in the 17 major states of India for three different time periods 1998-99, 2005-06, 2009-10 18 . The indicators forming the index were, (i) infant mortality rate per 1000 live births, (ii) birth rate per 1000 population, (iii) death rate per 1000 population, (iv) maternal mortality rate (MMR) per 100,000 birth delivery, (v) total fertility rate (TFR) of female in the reproductive age group and (vi) life expectancy at birth (LEB) of both males and females.…”

Tuloni Biya and its impact on menstrual health: A qualitative exploration of the menstrual experiences of adolescent girls in Assam

“…Studies have shown that economic growth is reflected in health outcomes, e.g. in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Punjab; whereas underdeveloped states, such as Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Assam, Odisha, and Jharkhand, also suffer worse health (Bakshi et al, 2015; Meher & Patro, 2014). The level of public spending on health in Bihar, Jharkhand, and Odisha is very low compared to states such as Kerala, Punjab, and Tamil Nadu (Dwivedi & Pradhan, 2017).…”