Public Health Care Services in Pakistan: An Empirical Analysis of Drivers of Utilisation

Abstract

Extensive research has been conducted in the existing literature to examine the impact of health outcomes on macroeconomic indicators. The micro-level investigation of public healthcare services, particularly utilisation, is unexplored in Pakistan. This study aims to investigate the factors that influence the utilisation of public health care services in Pakistan. The utilisation of the public health care services was determined in this study by incorporating socioeconomic, demographic, and regional covariates. Data was sourced from the PSLM survey (2019-2020) for the empirical analysis. The empirical evidence is based on the Ordered Logit model. The findings of the OLogit model indicate a positive association between literacy rate and household income with a higher likelihood of frequent and consistent utilisation of public health care services. The study confirms the existence of urban-rural disparity in utilising public health services. The findings of this study reveal a notable difference regarding the participation of the poor household in using health care services frequently or regularly. This study's findings hold considerable implications concerning the urban-rural disparity, equitable distribution of health care, and the enhancement of health care accessibility through increased purchasing power.