A study of accessibility, availability and quality of health services in Punjab

Health is wealth. Good health improves the capacity to learn and work, which vividly improves income and welfare at the household level even if the effects at the aggregate level may be harder to discern. In the present paper an attempt has been made to examine the accessibility, availability and quality of health care facilities in Punjab. The secondary data pertaining to health infrastructure of 20 districts in Punjab from the district level household and facility survey (DLHS-3) have been utilised. The data highlights the disparities over the districts in terms of availability and quality of health services in Punjab. In the healthcare there is shortage of water, electricity and other basic amenities. Despite a steady increase in the number of medical facilities in the country, there still remains a shortage of sub-centres, primary health centres, and community health centres in the country. Hence the need of the hour is to upgrade healthcare infrastructure in the state so to improve the quality and accessibility of public health care services in the Punjab.