Abstract

Programs like the Reproductive and Child Health (RCH) project and the former National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) were introduced with the goal of improving maternal and child health at the national level. Pregnancy problems and high-risk deliveries are caused by poor prenatal and postpartum care in the majority of impoverished nations. This kind of issue is present in India as well. A vast body of literature illustrating these problems has emerged in the past few decades. Acton's 1975 work is significant in this regard since it examines the potential influence of non-monetary factors, such as travel distance, on the desire for "free" and "non-free" maternal health care systems. Accessing basic health care services throughout pregnancy and delivery is a challenge for many Indian women. Due to a number of factors, such as inadequate and underfunded health systems, a lack of transportation to medical facilities, poorly equipped hospitals, a shortage of qualified healthcare professionals, and a shortage of essential medications and supplies during pregnancy, these basic care services reflect a lack of access to services and poor quality of care in maternal health care services. The study examines fundamental factors pertaining to maternal health and the disparities in these factors at the national level. In this regard, the study primarily identifies three factors that influence maternal health: conditional cash transfer, prenatal care, and institutional delivery. In addition, the study examines the disparities in wealth quintile distribution among these three. The study's goals are to compare the differences in the factors influencing institutional delivery between various caste groups in the district on a national level, as well as to identify and analyse the factors influencing the use of Antenatal Care (ANC), Janani Suraksha Yojana (JSY), and institutional delivery in India. These studies aim to compare the degree of inequalities in the study district with the national level and discover the socioeconomic and geographic disparities that exist in the use of maternity healthcare in India. The NFHS-5 (2019–21) data set is used in this study for the national level analysis across three identified factors. By removing influencing observations and residuals, the study cleanses the data set. DeltaX residuals with Hat statistics are the primary instruments for this type of research, and the study use standardised residuals in terms of anticipated probabilities for such removal. 2,32,920 married women aged 15–49 who have given birth at least once in the past five years are interviewed about their maternal health status variables from 6,36,699 households in the NFHS-5 (2019–21) data set. Three categorical variables—place of delivery care, pre-delivery care practices, and conditional cash transfer scenario—are the focus of the study. The sample data was hampered by missing information under each category of the particular variables (such as conditional cash transfer, prenatal care, and place of delivery).