PhD. Sangeeta Goala (Corresponding author: goala.sangeeta@gmail.com)
Assam University, Silchar, Assam, India
Prof. Dibyojyoti Bhattacharjee (djb.stat@gmail.com)
Department of Statistics, Assam University, Silchar, Assam, India
Abstract
Maternal health outcomes in India vary substantially across regions, emphasizing the need for state-level analysis. This study constructs a composite index to evaluate maternal healthcare conditions in Indian states at two-time points: 2015-16 and 2019-21 based on NFHS IV and NFHS-V data. The states are ranked according to the composite index value. Higher values imply better position of the states. Using a Difference-in-Differences (DiD) regression model, it investigates whether disparities in maternal healthcare have diminished over time. Findings reveal that the gap between the lowest-performing and best-performing states has narrowed in NFHS-V, suggesting overall improvements in maternal healthcare services. This trend reflects enhanced accessibility and quality of care, particularly in historically underperforming states over period.
Keywords: Difference-in-Difference, NFHS, Maternal Health Care, Multiple Comparisons, Regional Disparities
JEL classification: I15, J13, O15
