Economic Analysis of Health Care Accessibility on Productivity by Rural Farmers in Ikwuano Local Government Area of Abia State, Nigeria

Department of Agric. Economics and Extension, University of Uyo, Uyo,Akwa Ibom State, Nigeria. E-mail address: [email protected] The study assessed rural household accessibility to health care on agricultural resource use efficiency in Ikwuano Local Government Area of Abia State, Nigeria. Primary data were duly obtained using well structured questionnaire which was administered on eighty rural farmer’s household. Descriptive statistical techniques such as frequency, percentages were used as well as multiple regression analysis for empirical analysis. Results however revealed that the type of health care facilities available to rural communities include both modern and traditional. It further showed that 66.25% of the respondents had access to modern healthcare facilities while 33.75% had access to traditional healthcare facilities. Resource use efficiency analysis showed that farmers who had access to modern healthcare facilities were efficient in the use of resources such as labour and planting materials while those with access to traditional health care facilities were not efficient in resource utilization. Despite the availability and accessibility of modern health care facilities at the rural communities, most rural farmers still acknowledged and appreciate the use of traditional health care facilities. This in essence, implies that there is need to integrate the traditional with the modern health care facilities to cater for all categories of rural farmers to encourage increased agricultural production. The study recommends that modern health care facilities should be made available, accessible and should be sited close to the rural populace.