Background. Availability of doctors at primary health centres (PHCs) is a major concern. We measured the operational availability of doctors in PHCs and examined the effect of residential distance and private practice. Methods. Thirty-six health centres, consisting of six randomly selected PHCs from six purposively chosen districts in Andhra Pradesh were studied. Cross-sectional data on residential distance, private practice and attendance pattern of 38 operationally available medical officers were analysed. Results. About 80% of doctors residing within 20 km attended their PHC on all 6 days of a week, compared with only 33% for those staying >4 0 km away. Among those staying >2 0 km away from their PHC, the odds of absenteeism by privately practising doctors was 3-24 times more than for those not practising privately. Conclusion. Residential distance seems to affect the operational availability of doctors. Private practice by doctors living within 20 km from the PHC does not seem to affect their operational availability. However, private practice by doctors staying >2 0 km away from their PHC may affect their availability.
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