Study on Out-of-Pocket Expenditure Incurred towards Health Care and Reasons for Underutilization of Government Health Services.

Research question: Out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) incurred towards health care and reasons for underutilization of Government health services among a semi-urban population in Chennai. Objective: 1. To find out the OOPE pattern for healthcare of the semi urban population in Chennai over a period of 6 months. 2. To understand the pattern of selection of health care providers for specific illnesses. 3. To determine the reasons behind them not utilizing the government health care delivery system. Study design: Cross sectional study. Setting: Urban field practice area of ACS medical college, Chennai. Participants: 200 Head of households or their wives. Statistical analysis: Chi square test.