Journal of Research: THE BEDE ATHENÆUM
Year : 2010, Volume : 1, Issue : 1
First page : ( 29) Last page : ( 35)
Print ISSN : 0976-0598.

Infrastructural Gaps in the Delivery of Primary Health Care Services in the Rural Areas of District Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh

Tandon Anupama

Department of Economics, St. Bede's College, Shimla -171 002, Himachal Pradesh.

Received:  30  May,  2009; Accepted:  29  July,  2009.

Abstract

Himachal Pradesh has made commendable progress in health care. However, certain problems necessitate strong, well directed interventions. A large number of women and children fall prey to infant and maternal mortality. Infectious diseases such as malaria and especially TB are increasing at an alarming rate. A growing specter of HIV and AIDS is causing worries. Many of these illnesses can be prevented and treated cost-effectively by improving the extensive primary health care facilities as these are presently inadequate particularly in the rural areas of the State. The paper attempts to analyze the utilization performance of all the primary health centers in District Hamirpur on the assumption that the supply factors like basic and supportive staff and infrastructure significantly determine the utilization of primary health centers. The Chi-square test was used to assess the correlation between the level of utilization and basic and supportive staff and infrastructure. Analysis of the data showed that the supply factors are positively related to health outcome measured in terms of high patient load in Primary Health Centers (PHC's). There is an urgent need to reorient investment and remove allocative inequities and to identify the processes by which an individual's demand for health care is matched by supply.

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