Volume 14 | Issue 5
Volume 14 | Issue 5
Volume 14 | Issue 5
Volume 14 | Issue 5
Volume 14 | Issue 5
Understanding of inter-taluka differences in health infrastructure helps to identify disparities in access to healthcare resources. This information is crucial for promoting health equity and social justice within the taluka area. Anand, despite being an economically strong district of Gujarat, is suffering from the problem of inter-taluka disparities in health infrastructure. The major objective of this research is to study taluka wise availability of health infrastructure in terms of hospitals, health centers, beds in medical institutions, doctors, nurses etc. in various talukas of Anand so that inequalities would be identified and remedies can be offered. Keeping in view this backdrop, an attempt is made to examine the inter-taluka disparities in health infrastructure of Anand district. Seven indicators of health infrastructure are selected and their Coefficient of Variation, Ratios, Deprivation and Development Indices are calculated. At the outset, statistical values of Coefficient of Variation confirm the gaps in the availability of health facilities in various talukas of Anand and variations are found to be higher in case of the availability of hospital beds in medical institutions followed by hospitals and dispensaries. Further, the findings highlight that in most of the talukas, the ratios of health infrastructural indicators including doctor, nurse, hospital bed, hospital, primary health center, community health center, dispensary to population are insignificant and exploring wide imbalances. Finally, the deprivation as well as development indices of health infrastructure reveal the discrepancies in talukas with respect to the health infrastructural development. As per these indices, it is found that the talukas including Anand and Petlad are developed while Khambhat is experiencing moderate level of development in health facilities. Lastly, the third category of the talukas are Anklav, Sojitra, Umreth and Tarapur which are underprivileged with respect to the development of health infrastructure and thus, looking for immediate attention with concrete plan of action from Government of Gujarat.