title: A Comparative Evaluation of Public Health Centers with Private Health Training Centers on Primary Healthcare Parameters in India: a Study by Data Envelopment Analysis Technique.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  The evaluation of primary healthcare services provided by health training centers of a private medical college has not been studied in comparison with government health facilities in Indian context. Data envelopment analysis (DEA) is one such technique of operations research, which can be used on health facilities for identifying efficient operating practices and strategies for relatively efficient or inefficient health centers by calculating their efficiency scores.
  
  
  METHODS
  This study was carried out by DEA technique by using basic radial models (constant ratio to scale (CRS)) in linear programming via DEAOS free online Software among four decision making units (DMUs; by comparing efficiency of two private health centers of a private medical college of India with two public health centers) in district Muzaffarnagar of state Uttar Pradesh. The input and output records of all these health facilities (two from private and two from Government); for 6 months duration from 1(st) Jan 2014 to 1(st) July 2014 was taken for deciding their efficiency scores.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The efficiency scores of primary healthcare services in presence of doctors (100 vs 30%) and presence of health staff (100 vs 92%) were significantly better from government health facilities as compared to private health facilities (P < 0.0001).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  The evaluation of primary healthcare services delivery by DEA technique reveals that the government health facilities group were more efficient in delivery of primary healthcare services as compared to private training health facilities group, which can be further clarified in by more in-depth studies in future.
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Muzaffarnagar Medical College, Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Sanjeev
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Davey
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Muzaffarnagar Medical College, Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Santosh Kumar
authors.initials: SK
authors.lastname: Raghav
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Muzaffarnagar Medical College, Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Jai Vir
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Singh
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Subharti Medical College, Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Anuradha
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Davey
authors.affiliation: Department of Community Medicine, Muzaffarnagar Medical College, Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, India.
authors.forename: Nirankar
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Singh
keywords: Data envelopment analysis; primary healthcare; private medical college; rural health training center; subcenter; urban health post; urban health training center