Data: Toward a Healthy World

This story originally appeared in our March 10, 2011 e-magazine. Click here to subscribe.

By the Numbers

In 2009-2010, the Medical Advice, Quality and Availability in Rural India (MAQARI) Project conducted surveys to determine how many medical providers are available to average rural households.

1600

The number of villages where MAQARI implemented detailed surveys across 19 India states

6

The average per person availability of medical providers in 1,520 villages of rural India

1:10

The ratio of public doctors to private doctors in villages throughout India

65%

The percentage of practicing doctors who have no formal medical training to whom 79% of rural households visit

92%

The percentage of rural households that visit private doctors, who hold over 50% of the rural market

Datagraphics

How available are public versus private medical providers in rural India?

Availability of Healthcare Providers Within a Village to an Average Person

Less than 10% of medical providers in rural India are public doctors. It is hard to make any definitive conclusions regarding the quality of care based on the study data. On one hand, the shortage of public doctors in rural areas may point to either a lack of interest on the part of public doctors to work in rural areas, but it may also point to public perception of public care versus private care. On the other hand, since more than half of medical providers have no formal qualifications, it cannot be said that private care is necessarily of better quality than public care.
Data Source: Centre for Policy Research

Availability of Healthcare Providers Within a Market to an Average Person in Madhya Pradesh

In Madhya Pradesh (MP), MAQARI executed more detailed surveys in 100 villages, each with an average population of 1,149 people. The expanded MP surveys demonstrate that village health markets include neighboring villages where local populations also seek care. Also, the surveys included data collection of providers MP villagers last visited. The average population in these villages was lower than the all-India sample. The study therefore concludes that including healthcare providers who lie outside of village boundaries “dramatically” increases available choices.
Data Source: Centre for Policy Research