Rural Healthcare Delivery in West Bengal: A Review of Infrastructure, Human Resources, Accessibility and Emerging Challenges

Abstract

Rural healthcare is an important component of an equitable public health system, particularly in states such as West Bengal where geographical, economic and social conditions vary considerably across districts. This paper reviews the major challenges affecting rural healthcare delivery in West Bengal, focusing on physical infrastructure, availability of healthcare personnel, accessibility, informal healthcare providers, financial protection and community participation. The study follows a qualitative narrative-review methodology and relies entirely on secondary information obtained from peer-reviewed journal articles, official reports and policy documents. Existing research indicates that healthcare infrastructure and service availability are unevenly distributed across the state, with notable inter-district and regional disparities. Human-resource constraints, inconsistent availability of medicines and services, distance from formal facilities, economic limitations and trust in local informal providers further influence healthcare-seeking behaviour. Recent evidence also highlights the important role played by ASHA workers and community-level health institutions. The review argues that strengthening rural healthcare requires more than increasing the number of facilities. Greater attention is required toward staffing, functionality, diagnostics, community trust, referral systems, financial protection and responsible application of digital healthcare technologies.

Keywords

DOI & Citation