Does the augmentation of monetary and non-monetary factors prerequisite for the improvement of health outcomes? Evidence from the Indian states.

The present study was conducted in Indian states to examine the effect of monetary and non-monetary factors on Infant Mortality Rate (IMR) and Life Expectancy at Birth (LEB) by using the panel regression model. In addition, an attempt was also made to analysis the unequal pattern of health infrastructure and services across states over time with the help of a composite index on health infrastructure and services. It was found that the index value of the best performing state Chhattisgarh is more than fourth six times that of the worst performing state. The study also showed that, despite the higher level of average per capita public health expenditure and moderately better health infrastructure, the COVID 19 induced death rate was high in Punjab, Sikkim, Delhi and Goa. The panel regression results revealed that, an average increase of 1% in the monetary factor, public health expenditure to Gross State Domestic Product ratio (PHEGSDPR), would decrease the average of IMR by about 10%. Moreover, the elasticity of IMR with respect to non-monetary factor, health infrastructure and services per 0.1 million population (HISPLP), was negative and significant. Likewise, the explanatory variables, HISPLP and PHEGSDPR have a positive and significant effect on the LEB.

Direction of uneven health-care expenditure: Evidence from Northeast India.

BACKGROUND: Although the need for ensuring universal coverage in health has received the attention of policymakers under the Millennium Development Goals program, the skewed pattern of health-care expenditure has been increased globally. OBJECTIVE: To find out the pattern of public health-care expenditure in northeastern states of India and also to identify the nature of inter-state variation in health-care expenditure among the states. METHODS: The study was based on the secondary data collected from the State Finance Figures of Budgetary Statistics of Reserve Bank of India. The period of study was 13 years (2002-2003 to 2014-2015). The study used descriptive statistics and composite supply-side index separately for revenue and capital expenditure by randomizing through the population census figures of 2001 and 2011 for examining the pattern of interstate variation in health-care expenditure. RESULTS: It has been observed that the states having higher mean expenditure registered low compound annual growth rate in health expenditure and thereby causing low per capita value and lower value of the composite index. CONCLUSION: Thus, the largely populated state needs the due attention of policymaker in reducing the skewed pattern of health-care expenditure.