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Transformational Process of Health Care Choice of Poor in Kerala

Choice of poor people towards the type of health care services (public or private) has not been much discussed. This is mainly because of the underlying assumption that their choice has always been restricted to public health care services. The inefficiency of the public health care system in India has created a vacuum among the poor people regarding their preference for health care. Their tendency to transform from accessing public to private health care services is discussed in this context. The study was conducted among the low-income urban households of Kerala. It was noted that there is a strong willingness among these categories to access private health care services. Efficiency of the health care services was pointed out as a major reason for this. However, issues such as the high cost of private health care services remain unresolved. An option to revamp the public health care system cannot materialise especially when the budget allocation for public health service has reduced considerably. In this context, a proposal for an integrated system, which would work on distributive and redistributive mechanisms is suggested.