Location, location, location: residence, wealth, and the quality of medical care in Delhi, India

Abstract

There are seventy medical care providers within walking distance of every household in Delhi. However, inequalities in health outcomes persist among the rich and poor, which might reflect differences in the quality of available care. This paper shows that providers visited by the poor were indeed less knowledgeable than those visited by the rich. There is strong evidence of inequalities in access, with lower competence among private- and public-sector providers in poor neighborhoods, but no evidence of inequalities in choices. Practical policy options include targeted information to patients on provider competence and improving the allocation of public doctors across poor and rich neighborhoods.