Factors Influencing Choice of Health Care Providers Among Women in Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

Medical advancements have increased human life expectancy. Seeking healthcare at the right time of need is important. There are physical and financial barriers to access healthcare. The obstacles for women from seeking curative care are complex. Public healthcare is a means of achieving universal health coverage. The morbidity rate among women is on a rise, but seeking health care does not show a significant improvement (NFHS 4 and 5 rounds). For empirical substantiation, India and Tamil Nadu, a better-performing state in health indicators, were used for the analysis. The objectives of the study were to identify the factors influencing the preferences of women for curative care and reasons for the non-utilisation of public health care facilities. Secondary data from the National Family Health Survey 5 (2019 – 2020) were used. The binary Logistic model was applied to identify the factors influencing the probability of choice of healthcare providers by women. Spatial maps were used to represent differentials in public healthcare usage. Women in eleven states and union territories seek more public care (31%). Less than 30% of the public care is sought in Bihar, Telangana, and Andhra Pradesh. Compared to urban folks, rural people access public care more by 9%. Physical availability plays a vital role in access. Long waiting times, poor quality service, and lack of nearby facilities are the main reasons for pushing to access private care both at the national and state levels. Since increasing the number of public care units is a long-term goal, an immediate improvement can be made by extending their operating hours, allowing them to serve a larger population. Micro-studies probing obstacles to public care would increase their share of access through further directions.