Factors influencing the utilisation of public health services for maternal care in India: evidence from National Sample Survey

In India, the utilisation of public healthcare units for maternity care are declined in recent days, although both the public and private sector plays a significant role in delivering medical services in the country.Therefore, the present study has aimed to explore the factors responsible for the decline in the utilisation of public health services for maternity care by using 75th round NSSO unit-level data (2017-18) on health.Standard binary probit models have used to identify the important socio-economic and demographic factors that enabled the women to utilise public health services for their maternity care.The study found that low-income states lag behind high-income states in utilising health services in the country due to a lack of health infrastructure and a shortage of medical professionals.In a similar context, low literacy and less awareness among the households also influence the utilisation of health facilities for maternal care.The econometric analysis suggests that women of lower strata mainly belonging to the rural sector, minority community and vulnerable category have preferred public healthcare units for maternal care, while the employment status coupled with better education in the household would restrict them to use public health services in the country.