Abstract

Affordable and quality healthcare is indispensable for a decent quality of life. It has been observed that healthcare is expensive and more or less inaccessible for the poorer section of society. In that case, government should take the onus of providing affordable and quality healthcare to masses. However, whether the public health services are reaching to needy is questionable. This depends on the demand and utilization of health services by people belonging to different economic sections in the society. Distribution of public spending as pro-poor or pro-rich has policy implications. In this paper we are attempting to analyse the distribution of public health spending in Karnataka state, by analysing the Budget and Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) round-III data. The analysis highlights the commitment of authorities to provide health services to the poorer section of society.

This is a working paper from the Centre for Budget and Policy Studies, Bangalore.

CBPS. (unknown). Benefit incidence of public health expenditure: a study of Karnataka. Bengaluru, India: Centre for Budget and Policy Studies.