Rural Road Connectivity and Access to Health Care Services in Poonch District of Jammu and Kashmir (J & K)

Abstract

Road connectivity is an indispensable component of rural development. It is crucial for rural transformation and providing access to healthcare, education, and other socio-economic services. Around 72.62 percent of the population of Jammu and Kashmir (J & K) lives in villages. Road connectivity is the dominant source of transportation in the rural areas of J & K. Therefore, the availability and accessibility of health care services largely depend on rural road connectivity. The present paper aims to evaluate the impact of rural road connectivity on access to health care services in the district Poonch of Jammu and Kashmir. The paper is descriptive in nature and is based on primary data. A sample of 200 respondents from two blocks of district Poonch, namely, Bufflliaz and Surankote, have been taken for the study. The finding of the paper revealed that accessibility and availability of health care services are comparatively better in the Surankote block than Buffliaz block. It is mainly due to the availability of better rural road connectivity in the Surankote block. Better rural roads in Surankote block led to better access to health facilities by reducing travel time to reach the health centres, availability of medical staff, types of equipment, and other basic infrastructure required in the health institutions compared to Buffliaz block. It also leads to the availability of all major healthcare facilities for pregnant women in Surankote block. The paper highlights the need for continuous efforts by the government to develop better roads, which is a prerequisite for eliminating the regional imbalances in the development process.