Disease Pattern and Availability of Health Facilities in Rural Areas of Punjab.

The article presents a study which explores the pattern of disease and the availability of health facilities in Ludhiana, Amritsar and Bathinda, three rural areas in Punjab, India. The study aims to find out the major diseases and their status of prevalence in these areas and the kind of health facilities available for the masses. Results of the study show that anemia was the most prevalent disease, followed by reproductive health problems, joint pain and gastric and stomach problems. It was also revealed that majority of the respondents had a near government health institution within the range of two kilometers but most of them did not get proper treatment in government health center at village level. Several suggestions to strengthen the public health care system were given.