Health Infrastructure Disparities in Punjab: An Inter-district Analysis

Abstract

Economic and social development can be achieved by improving the health conditions of people which, in turn, depend upon the development and provision of health infrastructure facilities in any region or society. Better and sound health infrastructure is of paramount importance to support the health conditions of people in any region. Keeping this in mind, the present study has attempted to examine the inter-district disparities in health infrastructure in Punjab. Using principal component analysis, a district-level health infrastructure index (HII) for Punjab has been constructed at three points of time, that is, 1994, 2008 and 2018. The study detected the presence of inter-district disparities in health infrastructural facilities in Punjab. Barnala, Faridkot, Fatehgarh Sahib, Mansa and Shri Muktsar Sahib have been identified as improving districts, whereas Amritsar, Firozpur, Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Kapurthala, Ludhiana, Moga, Patiala and Tarn Taran appeared under deteriorating category. Bathinda, Gurdaspur, Rupnagar and Sangrur have been traced under fluctuating district category while Sahibzada Ajit Singh (SAS) Nagar and Shaheed Bhagat Singh (SBS) Nagar have emerged as stable districts for the study period. JEL Classification: C38, H54, I19