The Status of Access to Medicines and Enrollment in Welfare Schemes by Rural Elderly People of Southerner Rajasthan

Introduction: Multiple layers of vulnerability pose challenges for rural elderly to access health. Enrollment in government schemes is also limited by this section of society. This study focused on access to medicines and status welfare schemes for rural elderly. Subjects and Methods: It was a cross-sectional survey done in 84 villages in six districts of Rajasthan with 1266 elderly participants. The data were captured through a pretested questionnaire which was filled by trained data collectors. Results: The knowledge, as well as the actual enrollment of the elderly in various health care and welfare schemes, was very poor. Gender and caste analysis showed that women and lower castes were at the worst end in the enrollment and availing entitlements. Knowledge of health schemes was also less among them. The monthly average expenditure for participants on regular medication was Rs. 1570.35 and the time to procure the same was 6.10 h. Discussion: The elderly are vulnerable to the worst health outcomes and gender and cast categories add to it. Access to medicines is an essential component of health accessibility. However, it is largely neglected. Money and time in accessing required medicines seem to be too high to afford for these elderly people. Limited availability of public health facilities, poverty in old age, and the absence of private pharmacies in villages have contributed to the problem significantly. Welfare schemes have the potential to address these issues; however, enrollment and actual reach of benefits still need to be improved in rural areas.