Improving maternal and child health in India: evaluating demand and supply strategies

This study by Mohanan et al. evaluated two programmes by Indian state governments that enabled pregnant women from poor households to access free maternity care at public or private hospitals. They also tried to provide empirical evidence on how to structure contracts with private health providers, offering them incentives to improve quality and health outcomes. The researchers found that the Chiranjeevi Yojna in Gujarat or the Thayi Bhagya Yojana in Karnataka had no significant effect on institutional delivery rates or maternal health outcomes. This study concludes that low quality of healthcare, and lack of motivation and incentives for providers’ limited the potential impact of public sector initiatives seeking to extend healthcare availability and utilisation in the private sector.