JSY increased utilization of health services among poor:Study

A study has found that a government initiated safe motherhood intervention has led to enhancement in utilisation of health services among poor and underserved sections, the Rajya Sabha was told today.
The study was conducted by University of Maryland and National Council for Applied Economic Research, Minister of State for Health, Faggan Singh Kulaste, said in a written reply.
The study was to assess whether the 'Janani Suraksha Yojana' (JSY scheme) has been successful in addressing disparities in providing maternal healthcare services to the marginalized and poorer communities, by utilizing the data from the India Human Development Survey-1 (IHDS-1, 2004-05) i.E., pre-JSY period and IHDS-2 (2011-12).

"The results of the study indicate that during the two IHDS rounds, institutional deliveries almost doubled, full ANC increased by 6 percentage points, proportion of deliveries being assisted by trained health personnel increased by 22.3 percentage points and post natal care check-ups (within 2 weeks) increased by 19 percentage points," he said.
Kulaste said the findings of the study established that JSY has led to increased utilization of health services, especially among the poorer and underserved sections in the rural areas, and reduced the prevalent disparities in maternal care.
"The results of the study also indicate that the gap in access to healthcare between the marginalized group of women and those who are financially better-off has declined since the advent of the JSY program," he said.