Reasons and Realities of Health and Geographical Inequality in India: A Study of Inter-State Variations

Abstract

The paper is an attempt to explain the global regional inequality of health indicators and regional variation among Indian states. This analysis will cover through a set of health indicators (mortality and morbidity) like crude birth rate (CBR), crude death rate (CDR), infant mortality rate (IMR), maternal mortality rate (MMR), life expectancy and total fertility rates (TFR). The paper also provides a comparison of public expenditures on health with that of health expenditure in the private sector in India with those of other countries. This article highlights the dimensions and extent of inequities health indicators. The analysis in this study suggests that much of the problem for low health status in these states is also due to low health expenditure which impacts adversely on the health indicators.