Unmet Needs for Healthcare Services among People in the Field Practice Area of A Rural Health and Training Centre in Goa - A Descriptive Cross-Sectional Study

BACKGROUND Universal Health Coverage (UHC) means that individuals and communities receive the healthcare services they need without suffering financial hardship. It includes the full spectrum of essential, quality healthcare services, from health promotion to prevention, treatment, rehabilitation and palliative care. Unmet Healthcare Needs (UHNs) are defined as the difference between the healthcare services deemed necessary to deal with a particular health problem and the actual services received. UHC is possible only if we identify the UHNs among people and plan the delivery of healthcare services accordingly. The study aimed to identify the UHNs among the people in the field practice area of a Rural Health and Training Centre (RHTC), Mandur in Goa.  METHODS A community-based cross-sectional study was conducted in a rural area. A multistage sampling technique was used to include 160 study participants of 21 years of age or above. A semi-structured questionnaire was used to collect data which was later entered into Google Sheets and analysed using SPSS.  RESULTS The mean age of study participants was 44 years (95% CI 41-47). The majority were males (53.13%), 65% were Hindus, and most of them (38.75%) had completed secondary school education, however, more than half (53.13%) of them were unemployed. Twenty-six percent of the study participants reported UHNs during their last visit to a healthcare facility.  CONCLUSIONS The majority of the UHNs consisted of radiological investigations such as X-Ray and Ultrasound. Similarly, the most commonly perceived UHNs was also for radiological investigations followed by the unavailability of general practitioner, medicines and dentist.