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How Road Connectivity affects Access to Healthcare in Rural Meghalaya?

Corresponding Author : Utpal Kumar De (utpalkde@gmail.com)

Authors : Utpal Kumar De (utpalkde@gmail.com)

Keywords : Road Development Index, Healthcare, Meghalaya

Abstract :

This paper addressed the impact of road connectivity on the accessibility to healthcare services by people of remote villages of Meghalaya, India. Primary data were collected from the rural areas of Meghalaya where scattered villagers face varied connectivity to different desired destinations, particularly to health and education centres. Then various health indicators are related with the road development index across the villages. The results revealed that households in villages with good road network have better access to healthcare centres like public health centres, government and private hospitals for birth delivery and other related post-natal cares. Notwithstanding their socioeconomic conditions reduced transport costs help in better access to medical help during sickness and immunization programmes, natal and post-delivery care and female sterilization significantly for the households in villages with good road. Also indicates that with better road connectivity, incidence of various diseases like malaria, typhoid, tuberculosis is reduced significantly.

Published on December 30th, 2021 in Vol 32, No 2, 2021 (Special Issue on Bangladesh Development Perspectives : Issues of Economic Justic, Social Sciences