Patterns And Determinants of Utilizing In-Patient Medical Care in Uttar Pradesh and Kerala Across Public and Private Hospitals

Abstract

The healthcare institutions in India providing inpatient medical care are broadly classified into public/government hospitals, private hospitals, and NGO/Charitable run hospitals. The state of Kerala predominantly had public hospitals for providing health care facilities right from its formation till the late 1980s. Since the 1990s private hospitals have outpaced public hospitals in terms of the number and availability of beds whereas Uttar Pradesh despite being largest state of the country its performance on health is very poor and always come low in the NITI Aayog index. Using the latest unit-level data from NSSO 75th round on Social Consumption: Health, the study examines the pattern and determinants of availing of inpatient medical care in Kerala and Uttar Pradesh across public and private hospitals and the expenditure differences involved. The study finds out that the proportion of people who are hospitalized in Kerala is much higher compared to the all-India average and 66 percent of those hospitalized are in the private sector. Socioeconomic factors determine the choice of a public or private hospital for inpatient care, with people belonging to the highest socioeconomic category depending more on the private sector but in both states lower income households are seeking treatment in the public hospitals.