Economics of healthcare utilisation
My second phase of research on economics of health care utilisation began formally in June 2003. I have completed my doctoral work under the supervision of Prof. Jeta Sankrityayana and Prof. (Dr.) Sanchari Roy Mukherjee of the Department of Economics, University of North Bengal, Darjeeling, India. I have submitted my work in May 2006. The thesis was approved by the University on 03 July 2007. The title of my research is: “Economics of Health Care Utilisation: A Study of Perceived Morbidity and Health Seeking Patterns in Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri districts of North Bengal.”
Abstract: The study is based on primary data collected through interview technique. It has three facets: morbidity analysis (examination of epidemiologic profile of the region); study of preference for a care (applying qualitative anthropological technique); and estimation of contribution of different need, predisposing, and enabling factors towards utilisation of a care (multivariate analyses using binary logistic regression models, and multiple classification analysis).
I have been able to publish an E-book based on the above-mentioned doctoral research this year in 2014. Although I have not been able to restructure my dissertation in the form of a book and publish it formally in the past several years, various portions of it were disseminated widely through various channels, like academic seminars, conferences, journals and my personal website (https://amlan.co.in). As a result of these, over the years I have received numerous enquiries from students, scholars and professionals from India and abroad in regard to issues addressed by me. Thanks to this academic persuasion, lately I have decided to publish a revised version of it in the form of an E-book following the spirit of ‘better late than never’.
The E-book (Economics of health care utilisation: a study of self-reported morbidity and health seeking patterns in the districts of Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri, West Bengal, India; ISBN: 978-93-5196-174-1) is available here.
I am citing one conference paper also in this regard, where I have explained simply what I would like to do through my research (with a detailed review of literature). As the conference/workshop was on methodological issues, I did not put much importance on results. The conference took place at the Department of Political Economy and Quantitative Methods, University of Pavia, Italy in September 2004.
Citation: Majumder, A. 2004. “Economics of Health Care Utilisation: A Study of Health Seeking Patterns in Cooch Behar District of North Bengal.” Paper presented at the Second Ph. D. conference on “Research in Economics: Aims and Methodology” at the University of Pavia, Italy, 23-25 September 2004.
A copy of the paper is available for download here: Amlan-Pavia-Paper-Download Link.
(Please ignore my communication details printed in the Amlan-Pavia-Paper, as those do not exist at present).
The empirical results on health care utilisation can be found in the following paper. It mainly addresses the issues as briefed in the abstract below.
Abstract: Health care economy at present is passing through a phase of transition in the region of North Bengal with other parts of India. Important changes which draw our attention are: introduction of user fees or more specifically hike in fees structure in the public health facilities, emergence of numerous private sources of care, and revealed preference for alternative systems of medicine. The present study applies econometric tools to investigate such facts empirically in the rural and urban areas of Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri districts of North Bengal. It does multiple classification analysis to reach meaningful conclusion.
Citation: Majumder, A. 2005. “Economics of Health Care: A Study of Health Services in Cooch Behar and Jalpaiguri Districts,” Artha Beekshan, 14 (1): 52-66.
The full paper is available here: Amlan Paper Health Services in Cooch Behar Jalpaiguri-Download Link
During this period I have extensively analysed and used data from Rapid Household Survey under the Reproductive and Child Health Project (Phase: I&II), Indian National Family Health Survey-2, and Demographic Health Survey (DHS) to examine pattern of utilisation of health care according type of care or sources of it (within the same framework as mentioned above). I am citing two examples in this regard.
1. Amlan Paper DHS-Download Link.
2. Majumder, A. 2006. “Utilisation of health care in India: an empirical study based on National Family Health Survey-2,” Asian African Journal of Economics and Econometrics, 6 (2): 147-159. (ISSN: 09723986).
Similar other paper using Rapid Household Survey-Reproductive and Child Health Project (RHS-RCH) data is available below.
2. Amlan Paper Demand for health care-Download Link.
Similar other works
I have replicated the above-mentioned framework while analysing data from NFHS-3. If you have read my previous paper you will also understand the following paper from its abstract and results. The full paper (Public vs. private health care utilisation in India) was presented at the Graduate School of Management, St. Petersburg University, Russia in November 2008.
The paper: “Public Vs. Private Health Care Utilisation in India.”
The extended abstract is available here: Amlan Abstract ASPE 2008-Download Link.
Reproductive health care
In 2007, I have presented a paper at the, Ramkhamhaeng University, Bangkok, Thailand, June 29-July 1, 2007.
The paper presents a brief review of the history of family planning in India with goals and objectives, highlights the status of reproductive health from the point of view of need for care and its gap with utilisation of antenatal, postnatal, and institutional delivery care services among the women of the rural areas of the Country utilising data from Rapid Household Survey under the Reproductive and Child Health Project-Phase II.
Citation: Majumder, A. 2007. “The State of Reproductive Health Care in India.” Paper presented at the 16th Annual Conference of the International Association For Feminist Economics, Ramkhamhaeng University, Bangkok, Thailand, June 29-July 1, 2007.
Please get it from the Editorialexpress.
During my tenure at the IIT Delhi, I have done a thorough review of literature on health care utilisation. And based on that, utilising some secondary data we have developed a paper (which was co-authored by V. Upadhyay): “An Analysis of the Primary Health Care System in India with focus on Reproductive Health Care Services”. The paper was presented at the National Seminar on “Structure of Employment and its Interface with Technology: Present Status and Policy Imperatives for Productivity Enhancement”, Indian Institute of Technology, Delhi, 27-28 March 2002 and was published in Artha Beekshan (the Journal of Bengal Economic Association).
The paper is available here: Amlan First Paper on Healthcare utilisation-Download Link.
For more information please write me to: amlan@amlan.co.in.