Access to health care in rural societies - challenges and policy implications: A review

Abstract

This paper discusses the factors impeding the access to health care in rural Indian societies and spotlights the policy implications. Rural communities in India suffer from several hazards in getting proper and timely health care support. These lapses are negatively impacting the Indian rural population as there is a constant increase in maternal mortality, mal nutrition, infant mortality etc despite government emphasis on rural health care sector. Indian Rural population are already suffering from financial constraints owing to the agricultural pressures. Adding to the health care costs is making them further impoverished. It is also studied that number of Indians pushed below the poverty line due to the increasing health care costs was more than three times greater in rural areas than in urban areas. Health care expenditures are considered as the primary cause of poverty in rural India. The lack of public health care infrastructure is pushing rural people towards private health care systems in urban centres. The private health care amenities are not only expensive but are mainly urban centred. This is leading rural people to migrate to urban cities. Hence a need to review rural health care schemes and policies arises. There is a need to bring transformation in current rural health issues through addressing basic problems which can include expansion of small hospitals into less populated rural areas, formation of women health clinics, use of technology to expand rural health care reach etc.