A research conducted by the Indian Institute of Technology-Madras has shown that Universal Health Care (UHC) Pilot Project in three rural blocks of Tamil Nadu has brought about a “Significant Change” in improving access to primary care at sub-centre level.

The study also showed that the UHC pilot brought about a dramatic fall in the overall dependence on private providers, particularly those seeking care from private hospitals. It also brought about a substantial fall in the out of pocket expenditure among those seeking OP care from both public and private providers, an IIT-M release on April 13 said. The study, titled 'Universal Health Coverage-Pilot in Tamil Nadu: Has it delivered what was expected?, was undertaken by the Centre for Technology and Policy, Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, IIT Madras, and it was been submitted to the State Health and Family Welfare department.

The UHC-pilot was launched in early 2017 in Tamil Nadu in Shoolagiri Block (of Krishnagiri HUD), Viralimalai Block (of Pudukkottai HUD) and Veppur Block (of Perambalur HUD). Strengthening the primary health care service was the first step in the design and rolling out of UHC-pilot. As a result, Health Sub-Centres (HSCs), which were the closest delivery points to the community have logically become the building blocks of the UHC in Tamil Nadu, it said.

After the implementation of UHC Pilot, the HSCs now account for 17.8 per cent of all OPs in Shoolagiri block, 14.8 per cent in Viralimalai block and 23.1 per cent in Veppur block, respectively; in all three blocks, HSCs accounted for less than 1 per cent of all OPs during pre-UHC pilot. The share of private hospitals for OP (out-patient) care have dropped significantly during pre-UHC pilot period (2015-16) and post-UHC pilot period (Dec.2017) from 51 per cent to 21 per cent in Shoolagiri block, from 47.8 per cent to 24.2 per cent in Viralimalai block and from 40.9 per cent to 23.9 per cent in Veppur block.