Evaluating community clinics in urban Rajasthan: A scoping study

Local community health centers (“Janta Clinics” in Rajasthan), which serve as the first point of contact for patients by offering a basic high-quality package of primary healthcare services (consultations, diagnostic testing, and medicines) for free, have recently become an important policy tool in India. These clinics are intended to improve health and also reduce costs by a) reducing travel costs as they serve as “one-stop” local location b) reducing lost wages because the clinic timings allow for people to visit before and after ordinary work hours and c) reducing out of pocket expenditures. In partnership with the Government of Rajasthan’s health department, which was setting up these community clinics with a focus on maternal and child health, this project aimed to test whether the clinics can improve a range of health outcomes in addition to reducing costs for its users. This scoping study was designed to lead to a randomized evaluation of the Janta Clinics.

This project closed early without results due to challenges posed by the COVID-19 first wave in Rajasthan.