WP4 - Health, Equity and Poverty Exploring the Links in West Bengal, India

India is on a fast-track growth path and the health care market is opening up with new opportunities. However, impressive growth with inadequate social protection may lead to newer vulnerabilities, inequalities, and health related poverty. The study focused on one Indian state (West Bengal) to explore the link between health, poverty, and equity against this dynamic backdrop. Primary data - from households and different types of providers - were collected from three districts of the state.

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WP2 - Rapid methods for monitoring the utilization of healthcare facilities by the poor: Findings from a pilot project in rural Bangladesh

There has been growing concern about the inequities in the utilization of health care services by the socially disadvantaged in any setting. Health programme personnel always aim to increase the level of utilization of the services they provide to people from all segments of society. the present exercise applied benefit incidence, LQAS and sequential sampling methods in monitoring the utilization of health services by the poorest section of the population in two upazilas in Bangladesh. The practical challenges in adopting the methods and the consistency in the conclusions made by using the three methods have been examined and their possible use has been discussed.

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FHS India Research Brief 2 - A Parallel Health Care market: Rural Medical Practitioners in West Bengal, India

Despite a strong infrastructural base of the public health care facilities in many Indian states, the majority of outpatient services, especially in the rural areas, are provided by private health care providers, most of whom practice modern allopathy without any formal training. This research brief attempts to present some recent evidences to help understand the role and relevance of rural medical practitioners (RMPs) in the context of West Bengal's health care system.

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Evidence to action needs research

Tikki Pang wrote a very welcome editorial that discusses what evidence is needed to strengthen the linkages between evidence generation and action in the developing world. Dr Pang highlights several critical areas of exploration that we would like to further clarify and share our views on.

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WP1 - Malaria treatment and policy in three regions in Nigeria: The role of patent medicine vendors

This study seeks to better understand the role played by PMVs in the provision of AMDs in Nigeria, and to explore ways to improve the regulation and delivery of AMDs.

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