International Connections ColumnHow Affordable is Childbearing in India? An Evaluation of Maternal Healthcare Expenditures

Notwithstanding several child survival and safe motherhood programmes, maternal expenditures including antenatal care (ANC) and postnatal care (PNC) are gaining new heights every day. This study examines the extent of healthcare expenditure incurred for seeking delivery care including ANC and PNC across the socio-economic characteristics. Further, this study examines the extent of catastrophic delivery expenditure and its impoverishing effect on Indian women. The present study used unit level records of the 71st round of the National Sample Survey Office (NSSO) which was surveyed during January to June in 2014 on the theme 'Social Consumption: Health.' Results reveal that women who gave births to their babies in public hospitals spend rupees 1587 for the childbirth whereas the women who gave births to their babies in private hospitals spend more than nine times higher money for the delivery in rural areas (rupees 14,777.2). What's worse is that any additional burden on the already facing high maternal healthcare expenditure tips 46.6% women (among those who delivered) below the poverty line. In conclusion, there is a dire need of strengthening maternal health services which should be readily available, accessible and affordable to all irrespective of class-caste-region.