Patterns of health service utilization and perceptions of needs and services in rural Orissa

Despite emphasis on strengthening local health care provision, concern remains regarding the rates of utilization of state-provided services within Orissa. The reported study examined patterns of service utilization across the rural population of four districts of Orissa, with special reference to perceptions of the availability and quality of state services at the primary care level. Within the selected districts, 219 interviews were conducted across 66 villages. Households reported utilizing a wide range of health care providers, although hospitals constituted the most frequently--and primary health care centres (PHCs) the least frequently--accessed services. Private practitioners (qualified and unqualified) represented a major sector of provision. This included high rates of access by scheduled tribes and castes (running at approximately twice the rate of access to both local and PHC provision). Key factors guiding patterns of utilization were reputation of the provider, cost and physical accessibility. Local health provision through assistant nurse midwives and male health workers was generally perceived of poor quality, with the lowest rates of resolution of health problems of all service providers. The location of a sub-centre base for assistant nurse midwives within a village had no demonstrable impact on access to services. Acknowledging constraints on broader generalization, the implications of the findings for informing health policy and programming within Orissa are noted. This includes support for current efforts to strengthen the capacity of PHC and sub-centre level provision within the state, and acknowledgement of the potentially growing role of effectively regulated private provision in meeting the needs of the rural poor.