BENGALURU: A study on socio-economic inequality in the city has shown the highest disparity in access to healthcare.
The study analysed various healthcare parameters such as total number of family members availing medical services, nature of medical institutions people have access to and aggregate expenditure on health in a year. Healthcare inequality is followed by disparity in economic status and education. The study was conducted in the BBMP’s east zone between December 2012 and March 2013.
Dr Keya Chakraborty from the Centre for Infrastructure, Sustainable Transportation and Urban Planning (CiSTUP), Indian Institute of Science, was the study’s investigator. The report was published in Journal of Design and Built Environment.
The study uses a set of Human Development Index indicators to assess socio-economic inequality within Bangalore Urban Agglomeration. The assessment framework takes into account residents’ quality of life aspirations.
The study found that people preferred private health services and facilities, but back PPP model to fuel steady economic development.
The paper concludes by saying that future studies should include aspects such as gender, race, culture, ethnicity and environmental resilience for a broader understanding of socio-economic development.
Chakraborty says the study is unique in that it presents a picture of the residents’ aspirations, which cannot be understood from secondary data on selected indicators. “In addition, the three indicators are further divided into several logical parameters to observe the current scenario of the case study area. In the end, from a policymaker’s perspective, this research provides a clear idea of what should be done to improve the current status of the livelihood,” she says.