Cash transfer at child birth: Women end up paying higher at 'free of cost' public facilities

By Our Representative
Findings by two Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), New Delhi, scholars, Sampurna Kundu and Prof Sanghmitra Sheel Acharya, has revealed that despite the efforts of the Reproductive and Child Health Services, that provided free or nominal cost public health services, the average out of pocket expenditure (OOPE) per delivery in public health facilities has increased for many states.
Based on analysis of the National Family Heath Survey-5 data, the scholars say, while in “States like Manipur, Tripura, Mizoram and Assam, which are in the North-Eastern region, have shown increase in average OOPE per delivery in public health facilities over the past five years”, there has been a decline in West Bengal, where “the average OOPE per delivery in public health facilities is around Rs 2,700 for both urban and rural areas in West Bengal.”
As for other States, where OOPE has increased, the scholars say, it is observed that in urban areas it is higher than in rural, except for Tripura, where it is higher in rural areas. While Sampurna Kundu PhD scholar, Sanghmitra Sheel Acharya is professor at the Centre of Social Medicine and Community Health, School of Social Sciences, JNU.
The scholars say, this trend has been observed despite the fact that institutional births have increased in the past five years in public health facilities because of “improvement in the availability, accessibility and quality of public health facilities after government allotted higher budget under National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) by introducing Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY) scheme.”

They add, “Institutional births have also increased in states like Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland and Tripura in the North-Eastern states, where it has been mostly in the urban areas”, adding, “In West Bengal and Telangana, the increase in institutional births in public facilities has been drastic in the past five years”, mainly in the rural areas.
The scholars underline, “OOPE becomes higher when the the delivery is ceasarian in private institutions”, but latest estimates show that ceasarian delivery births in “public health facilities have increased in the last five years for almost all the States”, especially in urban areas.
Scholars underline, “The basic grounds of the conditional cash transfer by JSY will be lost if women has to pay in accessing the health services which is supposed to be free of cost. For the poor households especially will be pushed more towards poverty.”
They add, “In years to come if OOPE for reproductive health purposes continues to increase then women might deter from availing services from public health facilities despite of the cash incentive scheme.”

Comments

Gujarat's high profile GIFT city 'fails to attract' funds, India's FinTech investment dips

By Rajiv Shah While the Narendra Modi government may have gone out of the way to promote the Gujarat International Finance Tec-City (GIFT City), sought to be developed as India’s formidable financial technology hub off the state capital Gandhinagar, just 20 km from Ahmedabad, a recent report , prepared by Tracxn Technologies suggests that neither of the two cities figure in the list of top FinTech funding receiving centres.

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah* The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual.

Why Ramdev, vaccine producing pharma companies and government are all at fault

By Colin Gonsalves* It was perhaps Ramdev’s closeness to government which made him over-confident. According to reports he promoted a cure for Covid, thus directly contravening various provisions of The Drugs and Magic Remedies (Objectionable Advertisements) Act, 1954. Persons convicted of such offences may not get away with a mere apology and would suffer imprisonment.

Malayalam movie Aadujeevitham: Unrealistic, disservice to pastoralists

By Rosamma Thomas* The Malayalam movie 'Aadujeevitham' (Goat Life), currently screening in movie theatres in Kerala, has received positive reviews and was featured also on the website of the British Broadcasting Corporation. The story is based on a 2008 novel by Benyamin, and relates the real-life story of a job-seeker from Kerala tricked into working in slave conditions in a goat farm in Saudi Arabia.

Decade long Modi rule 'undermines' people's welfare and democracy

By Ram Puniyani* Modi has many ploys up his sleeves when it comes to propaganda. On one hand he is turning many a pronouncements of Congress in the communal direction, on the other he is claiming that whatever has been achieved during last ten years of his rule is phenomenal, but it is still a ‘trailer’ and the bigger things are in the offing as he claims to be coming to power yet again in 2024. While his admirers are ga ga about his achievements, the truth lies somewhere else.

Belgian report alleges MNC Etex responsible for asbestos pollution in Madhya Pradesh town Kymore: COP's Geneva meet

By Our Representative A comprehensive Belgian report has held MNC Etex , into construction business and one of the richest, responsible for asbestos pollution in Kymore, an industrial town in in Katni district of Madhya Pradesh. The report provides evidence from the ground on how Kymore’s dust even today is “annoying… it creeps into your clothes, you have to cough it”, saying “It can be deadly.”

Plagued by opportunism, adventurism, tailism, Left 'doesn't matter' in India

By Harsh Thakor* 2024 elections are starting when India appears to be on the verge of turning proto-fascist. The Hindutva saffron brigade has penetrated in every sphere of Indian life, every social order, destroying and undermining the very fabric of the Constitution.

Can universal basic income help usher in sustainable egalitarianism in India?

By Prof RR Prasad* The ongoing debate on application of Article 39(b) in the Supreme Court on redistribution of community material resources to subserve common good and for ushering in an egalitarian society has opened new vistas wherein possible available alternative solutions could be explored.

Press freedom? 28 journalists killed since 2014, nine currently in jail

By Kirity Roy* On the eve of the Press Freedom Day on 3rd of May, the Banglar Manabadhikar Suraksha Mancha (MASUM) shared its anxiety with the broader civil society platforms as the situation of freedom of any form of expression became grimmer in India day by day. This day was intended to raise awareness on the importance of freedom of press and to pay tribute to pressmen who lost their lives in the line of duty.

Ahmedabad's Muslim ghetto voters 'denied' right to exercise franchise?

By Tanushree Gangopadhyay* Sections of Gujarat Muslims, with a population of 10 per cent of the State, have been allegedly denied their rights to exercise their franchise in the Juhapura area of Ahmedabad.

Search This Blog