Treatment Seeking Behavior of Urban Slum Dweller Women to Cure Reproductive Morbidities: An Outcome of Failure of Government Health Delivery System

Manisha Nainakwal, All India Institute of Local Self Government
Balram Paswan, International Institute for Population Sciences (IIPS)
Rajesh Nainakwal, Hindustan Latex Family Planning Promotion Trust

Urban health infrastructure in most cities is inadequate to meet the demands of large sections of the urban poor. Most slum dwellers are either entirely left out of health services or receive very poor quality health care. Total 400 currently married women and medical practitioners were interviewed from eight slums of Mumbai. The objectives of the study were to understand government health delivery system in slums, treatment seeking behaviour for various reproductive morbidities and discuss various homemade remedies women uses. Treatment seeking behaviour of women studied by understanding factors operating at individual, family and community level their bio-social profile, past experiences with the health services, influences at the community level, availability of alternative health care providers , perceptions towards reproductive morbidities, and their perceive efficiency and quality of health care. The study recommends strong need that government needs to develop programes that enable women to overcome barriers in accessing care.