Internal migration and utilization of maternal health care services in India

Abstract

In India, internal migration has been given very low priority by the government, partly due to a serious knowledge gap on its extent, nature, and magnitude. Internal migration in India accounts for a large population - 309 million internal migrants or 30% of the total population (Census of India, 2001).This study was an attempt to examine the utilization of maternal health care services among currently married migrant and currently married non-migrant women aged (15-49) years old in India. To examine maternal health, two indicators (antenatal check up and institutional delivery) were used. This paper used National Family Health Survey-3 (NFHS-3) data of India. Study findings indicated that a slightly higher proportion of currently married migrant women utilize antenatal care services than non-migrant women. By contrast, higher proportion of non-migrant women delivered their last baby at an institution than migrant women. These findings were also corroborated by multi-variate analysis. These findings can be useful for policy makers and program planners to improve health services for migrants in India