Morbidity and Expenditure on Health by Rural Population in Gujarat

Abstract

In this article, an attempt has been made to understand the morbidity pattern and its burden on the households while seeking health care in the rural areas of Gujarat. The findings suggest a high burden of illness in the rural population which often entails substantial expenditure on treatment. Inadequate public health provisions have led to greater dependence on private health services across the various income groups. However, as proportion of expenditure on health is inversely related to the annual income of the household, poor households have to incur much greater share of income expenditure on health than the better-off households. Cost of treatment being high, a significant proportion of households is vulnerable to debt in managing the expenses on major health problems.