Effect of Social Accountability on Improving Service Delivery and Outcomes in the Public Sector in Uttar Pradesh, India

Households will receive information regarding their rights and entitlements pertaining to healthcare, certain health outcomes specific to their village, as well as health-related activities happening in their village (such as the VHSNC meetings and Village Health and Nutrition Days). Information will be disseminated through an initial visit to all households, and from then on either through (1) broadcast messages sent to households via mobile phone, (2) central individuals in the village social network who will be asked to spread that information, or (3) public officials charged with spreading the information throughout the village.

In addition to the information interventions described above, this intervention will provide trained facilitators to help community members engage in a participatory process with VHSNCs and identify key deficiencies for improvement in health services that most concern community members. The facilitators are trained to help organize meetings and are provided a detailed checklist of activities to be undertaken prior to the the meetings. The three key health workers at the village level (ASHA, ANM, and AWW) report to the local (village level) elected representatives and block level authorities, who receive feedback from the community in the accountability interventions.