FREQUENCY OF DOCTOR VISITS DUE TO SUFFERING FROM WATER DISEASES: AN EMPIRICAL STUDY IN SLUMS OF KOLKATA

Abstract

The present paper concentrates on measuring the burden of Water Diseases in the form of the frequency of doctor visits in the slums of Kolkata. A primary survey was undertaken in the year 2018 in the slums of four zones of Kolkata. The numbers of household suffering from the disease are 495 (58%) out of 853. Descriptive statistics for explanatory variables (monthly family income, education of the head of the family and the mother of the suffered person, the average age of suffering, caste, and average hygiene awareness) and explained variables (frequency of doctor visits) have been provided. The principal component analysis has been used to measure the hygiene awareness of the people in slums. The log-linear model has been used to estimate the frequency of doctor visits. The income of the family, education of the head of the family, education of the mother, the average age of suffering, water purification procedure adopted at home, and hygiene awareness have been playing a significant role in determining the frequency of doctor visits. The conditions of the North, East, and West zone slums have been compared in contrast to the South zone. The economic burdens of suffering from various diseases in the slums of Kolkata continue to be ignored to date. The study may help the policymakers to take policies for minimizing the burden. There is ample scope to carry out future research work on the burden of the other diseases occurring in the slums of Kolkata.