Research Article
Year: 2023 | Month: March | Volume: 13 | Issue: 3 | Pages: 306-315
DOI: https://doi.org/10.52403/ijhsr.20230334
Patterns and Determinants of Availing Inpatient Medical Care in Kerala Across Public and Private Hospitals
Nandana Prakash1, Dr. Manju S. Nair2
1Research Assistant, Centre for Agroecology and Public Health, Department of Economics, University of Kerala
2Hon. Director, Centre for Agroecology and Public Health and Professor, Department of Economics, University of Kerala
Corresponding Author: Nandana Prakash
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. 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 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 socio-economic category depending more on the private sector. However, an increasing share of people belonging to lower socio-economic categories also depend on private hospitals for inpatient medical care. The mean difference in medical expenditure between the private and public sectors is five times – all these points out the need for the furtherance of public policy in the state of Kerala to provide affordable and accessible health care.
Key words: inpatient medical care, public and private hospitals, medical expenses