Spatial disparities in health status and access to health-related interventions in Madhya Pradesh

Abstract

The public health sector of India suffers from higher inequalities despite interventions introduced from time to time. The groups suffering the most are the populations in Empowered Action Group (EAG) states, with limited access to health interventions and higher mortality and morbidity rates. Madhya Pradesh, an EAG state, is infamous for its low-level health status due to disparities in access to health care. This study aimed to understand how access to health care differs spatially in the state and identify the hotspots for urgent attention. Indicators related to health were selected from the association of Sustainable Development Goal 3 (Good Health and Wellbeing) with other SDGs, especially from 1 to 10. Principal Component Analysis was used to construct two indices, viz. Health Status Index (HSI) and Health Intervention Index (HII) out of the indicators. The results showed that the spatial distribution of HSI and HII possess a positive Moran’s I, indicating spatial clustering of these indices in the state. The bivariate association between the two indices is positive but close to zero, indicating a lower association between coverage of health indicators and health status among districts of Madhya Pradesh. These results can provide wide applications while targeting health interventions at the district level.