scholarly journals Reduced health services at under-electrified primary healthcare facilities: Evidence from India

PLoS ONE ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 16 (6) ◽  
pp. e0252705
Author(s):  
Vivek Shastry ◽  
Varun Rai

Primary healthcare systems worldwide suffer from major gaps in infrastructure and human resources. One key infrastructure gap is access to reliable electricity, absence of which can significantly affect the quantity and quality of healthcare services being delivered at rural primary health facilities. However, absence of granular empirical evidence is a barrier for quantitatively understanding the significance of electricity access as one of the determinants of access to reliable primary healthcare. Using data from India’s District Level Household and Facility Survey, we develop zero-inflated negative binomial models with co-variates and state-level fixed effects to estimate the relationship between levels of electricity access and the quantity of basic health services delivered at Primary Health Centers (PHCs). We find that lack of electricity access is associated with a significant and large decrease in the number of deliveries (64 percent), number of in-patients (39 percent), and number of out-patients (38 percent). We further find that lower level of electricity access at primary health centers is disproportionately associated with adverse effects on women’s access to safe and quality healthcare.

Author(s):  
Dr. Minutha. V

The accessibility of healthcare centers is one of the most important indicators for measuring the efficiency of a healthcare system. Accessibility is a complex indicator that reflects the number of health care institutions, their geographical distribution and the impact of different types of barriers social, Economic and culture (1). Primary health centre which acts as the first level of contact between the population and health centers. It acts has a cornerstone of rural health services. Primary healthcare is affordable, accessible and appropriate care for the particular needs of a given population especially in rural areas. The main objectives of the study are to study the spatial distribution pattern and delineation of service area of primary health centers; to identify the gap between the availability and accessibility of health services. The base map of study area has been geo-referenced and digitized using ARC GIS software. The Global positioning system (GPS) was adopted to take the coordinate of all the existing primary health centers in the study area. Simple Euclidean buffers are mapped and analyzed to define the service area, Thiessen polygon and Nearest Neighbour Technique was used here to identify the availability of health services in Mysore district. The results reveal that, the spatial variation in the distribution of PHC’s, which were not evenly distributed across the study area and there is scarcity in the availability of workforce among the study area.


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farhad Farewar ◽  
Khwaja Mir Ahad Saeed ◽  
Abo Ismael Foshanji ◽  
Said Mohammad Karim Alawi ◽  
Mohammad Yonus Zawoli ◽  
...  

Abstract Background: The Afghan health system is unique in that primary healthcare is delivered by donor-funded implementing partners, not the government. Given the wide range of implementers providing the basic package of health services, there may exist performance differences in primary healthcare. This study assessed the relative efficiency of different levels of primary healthcare services and explored its determinants in Afghanistan. Method: Data on personnel and capital expenditure (inputs) and the number of facility visits for six primary healthcare services (outputs) were obtained from national health information databases for 1,263 healthcare facilities in 31 provinces. Data envelopment analysis was used to assess the relative efficiency of three levels of primary healthcare facilities (comprehensive, basic, and sub health centers). Bivariate analysis was conducted to assess the correlation of various elements with efficiency scores. Regression models were used to identify potential factors associated with efficiency scores at the health facility level. Results: The average efficiency score of health facilities was 0.74, when pooling all 1,263 health facilities, with 102 health facilities (8.1%) having efficiency scores of 1 (100% efficient). The lowest quintile of health facilities had an average efficiency score of 0.36 while the highest quintile had a score of 0.96. On average, efficiency scores of comprehensive health centers were higher than basic and sub health centers by 0.108 and .071 respectively. In addition, the difference between efficiency scores of facilities in the highest and lowest quintiles was highest in facilities that offer fewer services, so that they have the largest room for improvement. Conclusions: Our findings show that public health facilities in Afghanistan that provide more comprehensive primary health services, use their resources more efficiently, and that smaller facilities have more room for improvement. A more integrated delivery model would help improve the efficiency in providing primary healthcare in Afghanistan.


2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Farhad Farewar ◽  
Khwaja Mir Ahad Saeed ◽  
Abo Ismael Foshanji ◽  
Said Mohammad Karim Alawi ◽  
Mohammad Yonus Zawoli ◽  
...  

Abstract Background The Afghan health system is unique in that primary healthcare is delivered by donor-funded implementing partners, not the government. Given the wide range of implementers providing the basic package of health services, there may exist performance differences in primary healthcare. This study assessed the relative efficiency of different levels of primary healthcare services and explored its determinants in Afghanistan.Method Data on personnel and capital expenditure (inputs) and the number of facility visits for six primary healthcare services (outputs) were obtained from national health information databases for 1,263 healthcare facilities in 31 provinces. Data envelopment analysis was used to assess the relative efficiency of three levels of primary healthcare facilities (comprehensive, basic, and sub health centers). Bivariate analysis was conducted to assess the correlation of various elements with efficiency scores. Regression models were used to identify potential factors associated with efficiency scores at the health facility level.Results The average efficiency score of health facilities was 0.74, when pooling all 1,263 health facilities, with 102 health facilities (8.1%) having efficiency scores of 1 (100% efficient). The lowest quintile of health facilities had an average efficiency score of 0.36 while the highest quintile had a score of 0.96. On average, efficiency scores of comprehensive health centers were higher than basic and sub health centers by 0.108 and .071 respectively. In addition, the difference between efficiency scores of facilities in the highest and lowest quintiles was highest in facilities that offer fewer services, so that they have the largest room for improvement.Conclusions Our findings show that public health facilities in Afghanistan that provide more comprehensive primary health services, use their resources more efficiently, and that smaller facilities have more room for improvement. A more integrated delivery model would help improve the efficiency in providing primary healthcare in Afghanistan.


2018 ◽  
Vol 71 (3) ◽  
pp. 1178-1188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Maura Cristiane e Silva Figueira ◽  
Wellington Pereira da Silva ◽  
Eliete Maria Silva

ABSTRACT Objective: Analyze the scientific production that describes the type of access to primary healthcare services and identify specific populations that have differentiated access to health services. Method: An integrative review. For study selection, the following databases were used: PubMed, Scopus, Bireme, and Cinahl. The sample included 22 national and international articles. Results: The results describe the access of specific populations to health services, the access to primary care through health plans and proposed improvements to the access to primary care. Conclusion: The access to services is a challenge in many countries and some strategies and policies are implemented to solve and improve primary health care.


2021 ◽  
Vol 6 (Suppl 5) ◽  
pp. e005242
Author(s):  
Sunita Nadhamuni ◽  
Oommen John ◽  
Mallari Kulkarni ◽  
Eshan Nanda ◽  
Sethuraman Venkatraman ◽  
...  

In its commitment towards Sustainable Development Goals, India envisages comprehensive primary health services as a key pillar in achieving universal health coverage. Embedded in siloed vertical programmes, their lack of interoperability and standardisation limits sustainability and hence their benefits have not been realised yet. We propose an enterprise architecture framework that overcomes these challenges and outline a robust futuristic digital health infrastructure for delivery of efficient and effective comprehensive primary healthcare. Core principles of an enterprise platform architecture covering four platform levers to facilitate seamless service delivery, monitor programmatic performance and facilitate research in the context of primary healthcare are listed. A federated architecture supports the custom needs of states and health programmes through standardisation and decentralisation techniques. Interoperability design principles enable integration between disparate information technology systems to ensure continuum of care across referral pathways. A responsive data architecture meets high volume and quality requirements of data accessibility in compliance with regulatory requirements. Security and privacy by design underscore the importance of building trust through role-based access, strong user authentication mechanisms, robust data management practices and consent. The proposed framework will empower programme managers with a ready reference toolkit for designing, implementing and evaluating primary care platforms for large-scale deployment. In the context of health and wellness centres, building a responsive, resilient and reliable enterprise architecture would be a fundamental path towards strengthening health systems leveraging digital health interventions. An enterprise architecture for primary care is the foundational building block for an efficient national digital health ecosystem. As citizens take ownership of their health, futuristic digital infrastructure at the primary care level will determine the health-seeking behaviour and utilisation trajectory of the nation.


2016 ◽  
pp. 77-93 ◽  
Author(s):  
Davuthan Günaydin ◽  
Hakan Cavlak ◽  
GamzeYıldız Şeren ◽  
Korhan Arun

One of the most important challenges faced by the healthcare system is the organization of healthcare services to cope with the increase in population and aging of citizens. Especially in developing countries, demographic movements of the population, regional disparities, political concerns, and increasing expectations of health services have led to a search for new ways to serve all of the population with healthcare services. With traditional methods, it is not possible to increase the supply of health services because of inadequate infrastructure and shortcomings in quantity and quality of healthcare staff. This new health system called e-health and uses all of the possibilities provided by information and communication technologies that aim to improve public health. In this chapter, the effects of e-health practices on the quality and accessibility of healthcare services are assessed and the extent of e-health practices in Turkey are evaluated.


2016 ◽  
pp. 691-707
Author(s):  
Davuthan Günaydin ◽  
Hakan Cavlak ◽  
GamzeYıldız Şeren ◽  
Korhan Arun

One of the most important challenges faced by the healthcare system is the organization of healthcare services to cope with the increase in population and aging of citizens. Especially in developing countries, demographic movements of the population, regional disparities, political concerns, and increasing expectations of health services have led to a search for new ways to serve all of the population with healthcare services. With traditional methods, it is not possible to increase the supply of health services because of inadequate infrastructure and shortcomings in quantity and quality of healthcare staff. This new health system called e-health and uses all of the possibilities provided by information and communication technologies that aim to improve public health. In this chapter, the effects of e-health practices on the quality and accessibility of healthcare services are assessed and the extent of e-health practices in Turkey are evaluated.


2017 ◽  
Vol 187 (7) ◽  
pp. 1449-1455 ◽  
Author(s):  
April M Zeoli ◽  
Alexander McCourt ◽  
Shani Buggs ◽  
Shannon Frattaroli ◽  
David Lilley ◽  
...  

Abstract In this research, we estimate the association of firearm restrictions for domestic violence offenders with intimate partner homicides (IPHs) on the basis of the strength of the policies. We posit that the association of firearm laws with IPHs depends on the following characteristics of the laws: 1) breadth of coverage of high-risk individuals and situations restricted; 2) power to compel firearm surrender or removal from persons prohibited from having firearms; and 3) systems of accountability that prevent those prohibited from doing so from obtaining guns. We conducted a quantitative policy evaluation using annual state-level data from 1980 through 2013 for 45 US states. Based on the results of a series of robust, negative binomial regression models with state fixed effects, domestic violence restraining order firearm-prohibition laws are associated with 10% reductions in IPH. Statistically significant protective associations were evident only when restraining order prohibitions covered dating partners (−11%) and ex parte orders (−12%). Laws prohibiting access to those convicted of nonspecific violent misdemeanors were associated with a 24% reduction in IPH rates; there was no association when prohibitions were limited to domestic violence. Permit-to-purchase laws were associated with 10% reductions in IPHs. These findings should inform policymakers considering laws to maximize protections against IPH.


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