Kerala spends maximum 'out-of-pocket' on health care: Report

New Delhi: People in Kerala spend the maximum amount on medical facilities out of their own pockets followed by Punjab, according to a new report by the health ministry released on Tuesday.

The overall monthly per capita household "out-of-pocket" medical expenditure per month for rural areas in the country was Rs.95.18 and for urban areas, it was Rs.145.71, said the National Health Profile 2015 by the Central Bureau of Health Intelligence.

People in rural Kerala spend Rs.244 per month on health care and in urban areas, they spend Rs. 275. The corresponding figures for Punjab are Rs.196 and Rs.197.

Rural Delhi spends Rs.150 per month on "out-of-pocket" health care, Himachal Pradesh Rs.134 and Andhra Pradesh Rs. 125.

People in urban areas in West Bengal spend Rs. 193, and in Haryana and Tamil Nadu, Rs.149.

Sikkim, Goa, Anurachal Pradesh, Mizoram and Nagaland are the states with the highest per capita expenditure on health by the government.