Health Infrastructure, Health Outcome and Economic Wellbeing: A District Level Study in India

Hati, Koushik Kumar and Majumder, Rajarshi (2013): Health Infrastructure, Health Outcome and Economic Wellbeing: A District Level Study in India.

Abstract

Healthy population is considered to be the engine of economic growth. A healthy person can work with efficiency to earn wealth. Collective wealth of all those persons gives rise to the wealth of the nation. Against this backdrop, the present paper analyses health infrastructure and health outcome in India by constructing composite indices. To have a wider implication at ground level and also to identify the regional disparity in health infrastructure and outcome, the study has been conducted at district level across all general category states of India using data from District Level Household Survey (DLHS-III) and National Sample Survey (NSS). Using appropriate econometric tools, Health infrastructure has been critically viewed from the basic aspects of availability and accessibility of Promotive, Preventive and Curative health services, whereas health outcome/status has been analysed using three basic indicators of Reproductive & Child Health., Morbidity and Mortality. The paper further extends the analysis by discussing the interlinkage between health infrastructure and health outcome as well as that between health status and economic wellbeing. Relative position of the districts within the states is explored to identify the determinants of health status using simple econometric exercise. Results indicate strong relation between primary health infrastructure and preventive & curative health achievements. Close relation between health and economic status/wellbeing of a district underlines the role of health in determining socioeconomic situation of a region. Gaps in health infrastructure in the region needed to be taken care of to tap the full economic potential of the region has also been estimated and highlighted.

• Item Type: MPRA Paper
• Language: English
• Keywords: Health Infrastructure, Health Outcome, Regional Disparity, Economic Wellbeing
• Subjects: I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I1 - Health > I14 - Health and Inequality; I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I1 - Health > I15 - Health and Economic Development; I - Health, Education, and Welfare > I1 - Health > I18 - Government Policy ; Regulation ; Public Health; R - Urban, Rural, Regional, Real Estate, and Transportation Economics > R1 - General Regional Economics > R11 - Regional Economic Activity: Growth, Development, Environmental Issues, and Changes

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