Rural Health Infrastructure Index and Health Status in India

The study explores the trends in rural health infrastructure and health status across Indian states, analysing the relationship between the Rural Health Infrastructure Index (R-HII) and the Rural Health Status Index (R-HSI) from 2005 and 2020. Despite the Government of India efforts through initiatives like the National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) and Ayushman Bharat, significant disparities continue in rural healthcare. The study uses secondary data from the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare and applies 12 indicators to assess infrastructure and four to evaluate health outcomes. Findings reveal that states like Arunachal Pradesh and Mizoram have shown remarkable progress in health infrastructure, while states such as Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh have maintained a high health status index. However, the association between infrastructure and health outcomes is weak, with a regression analysis showing an R² value of 0.026, indicating that improved infrastructure alone is not sufficient to ensure better health outcomes. Socio-economic factors, policy implementation, and service delivery also presentation critical roles in health outcomes, suggesting a multifaceted approach is necessary to address the rural health challenges in India. This study highlights the need for targeted, region-specific interventions to bridge the health disparities between states. Key words: Health infrastructure, Health Status