PANAJI
Families in Goa’s rural areas face the steepest maternity bills, with private hospital deliveries averaging Rs 69,394 compared to just Rs 906 in government facilities.
In urban Goa, however, the gap is narrower but still stark: Rs 39,157 in private hospitals versus Rs 1,060 in government ones.
These figures have emerged in a nationwide survey by the Central Statistics Office, which tracked health expenditure across India from January to December 2025.
The study covers 1.39 lakh households and 6.51 lakh individuals.
Overall, Goa’s private hospital delivery costs are as much as 52 times higher than in government facilities.
The State average stands at Rs 52,064 in private hospitals against Rs 1,010 in government ones.
Nationally, the average delivery cost in government hospitals is Rs 2,316. Meghalaya reports the lowest at Rs 873, followed by Rajasthan (Rs 905), Goa (Rs 1,010), and Gujarat (Rs 1,069).
Manipur tops the list at Rs 14,003. Other high cost States include Sikkim (Rs 9,021), Tripura (Rs 7,223), and Arunachal Pradesh (Rs 6,167).
Private hospital costs show even sharper contrasts and Tamil Nadu leads with Rs 69,914 per delivery, followed by Sikkim (Rs 66,188), Himachal Pradesh (Rs 57,069), and Arunachal Pradesh (Rs 56,654).
Nagaland records the lowest private hospital cost at Rs 20,944. Rajasthan (Rs 26,757), Gujarat (Rs 30,066), and Odisha (Rs 31,454) remain below the national average of ₹39,381.
The report underscores how geography and choice of facility impact rural families in Goa, already facing limited access to care and raising urgent questions about affordability and equity in the maternal healthcare system.
