Assessing the Effect of Mohalla Clinics on Healthcare System in Delhi: Evidence from a Primary Study in West District

Abstract

This research article is based on a field study conducted in the West district of Delhi during November 2021–December 2021. With the introduction of Mohalla Clinics in Delhi, the supply side of the healthcare system has been affected as those seeking primary healthcare have more choices of public health facilities. This could further affect the utilisation of other government health facilities such as government dispensaries and hospitals. Analysing these effects could be crucial for handling existing bottlenecks of the system such as overcrowding of public hospitals, poor quality of care delivered at public health facilities, etc. This study was intended to uncover the healthcare-seeking pattern of the localities in West Delhi and compare the findings between localities with Mohalla Clinics in proximity and localities without Mohalla Clinics. We also present a comparison of the utilised health facilities on three parameters of accessibility—availability, affordability and acceptability. The sampling of the primary survey was conducted by geographical mapping of health facilities using Qgis software. We find that while Mohalla Clinics are preferred over dispensaries, the choice over government hospitals is seen only in areas where the distance to Mohalla Clinics is lesser vis-a-vis hospitals. It was also seen that the clinics seem to have eased down the barriers to healthcare for females much more than for males. The clinics have fared well in terms of affordability and acceptability but more clinics should be built to scale the effects.