Assessing Spatial Distribution of Health Infrastructure in India

In India, access to public health care is being criticised in terms of inequities in availability, utilisation and affordability. The role of private facilities is gradually becoming important in the discussions as it is expected to act as a substitute for the public health care systems. With this paradigm change, recent health insurance policies are also designed to cover expenses incurred either in public or private facilities. Therefore, the interplay of public and private establishments has a significant role to play, which positively influences the total allocation of resources. In this scenario, the most important is to examine the spatial distribution of two types of health providers to understand the prospective access of health establishments, whether they coexist, and whether private establishments are adequate to support the needs of the people. The study confirms the coexistence of health establishments, which means health establishments are not distributed evenly and form clusters. The correlation between public and private establishments is strong in urban areas, but it is inconsistent for rural areas. Moreover, findings suggest that existing insurance policies are only boosting demand for health care but are unable to minimise out-of-pocket expenses as health establishments are confined to certain areas. Therefore, universal health care has remained elusive unless the supply-side venture is achieved.