Elderly Indians across several parts of India are traveling an average of 14.5 kilometers just to access outpatient care, and nearly 44 kilometers to seek inpatient treatment, according to a new study published in The Lancet. These numbers highlight the persistent challenges in healthcare accessibility for India’s older population, especially in rural and underserved regions.
The study published in The Lancet Regional Health-Southeast Asia journal also showed a significant urban-rural disparity — urban older adults availed out-patient facilities within 10 kilometres of reach, while the distance was nearly 30 kilometres for their rural counterparts.
Older adults in India are estimated to be about 138 million in number.
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Scientists from the Indian Council of Medical Research used data from the Longitudinal Ageing Study of India (2017–18), which covered over 31,000 older adults, to understand how far they travel for healthcare.
The study found that around 73 per cent used outpatient care and 40% accessed inpatient services if the hospitals or clinics were within 10 km. However, when the distance was over 30 km, outpatient visits dropped to just 10%.
They wrote, “Older adults, on an average travelled a distance of nine miles (14.54 kilometres) to seek outpatient services and 27 miles (43.62 kilometres) for inpatient care respectively.” State-wise, Tripura, Manipur and Kerala, had the highest in-patient and outpatient visits within 10 kilometres — over 80 per cent, 75 per cent and 59 per cent of older adults availed in-patient services, respectively, while 88 per cent, 78 per cent and 84 per cent availed out-patient ones, respectively.
Outpatient care includes services like routine check-ups, consultations, diagnostic tests, or procedures that don’t require patients to be admitted to hospitals. Inpatient care, on the other hand, involves being admitted to a hospital, at least for a day, for surgeries, serious illnesses, or when round-the-clock monitoring is needed.
The researchers emphasised that improving access and minimizing geographic barriers is crucial for building an equitable and inclusive healthcare system in India.
