TO STUDY THE SOCIO – ECONOMIC STATUS OF PATIENTS AND ITS IMPLICATIONS ON HEALTH CARE

Abstract

Aim: This is a prospective study to assess the socio-economic status and various problems faced by the patient and their relatives. Co-factors like education, Income and awareness of public on healthcare were also assessed.   Materials and Methods: This Study was conducted on indoor patients in department of medicine at SMS Medical College. Relatives of admitted patient well given a questionnaire in Hindi with unbiased assistance to illiterate. Results: Most of the patients belonged to low socioeconomic status with per capita income of less than Rs 5000 per month (56.8%) . In 76.5% cases the patient was the sole earning member of the family. People used their savings to meet the expenditure (76.3%) and 58.65% used public transport to reach the tertiary centre. Conclusion: This study showed a direct co-relation of socio-economic status with health and use of the available resources. Lack of education is a hindrance in proper treatment and utilization of facilities. Government needs to further address these areas and make policies accordingly.