The 'Inverse Care Law' described by Julian Tudor Hart (1971) states that:

• A The availability of good medical care tends to vary inversely with the need for it in the population served ✓
• B Countries with more physicians per capita have lower infant mortality rates
• C Preventive care is inversely related to the cost of curative care
• D Higher government health expenditure is inversely associated with private out-of-pocket spending

Explanation

The Inverse Care Law (Julian Tudor Hart, 1971) observes that the availability of good medical care varies inversely with the need for it in the population served — meaning that areas and populations with the greatest health needs (poor, rural, disadvantaged communities) receive the least medical care, while areas with lower need (affluent, urban populations) receive the most. This inverse relationship is more pronounced in market-driven healthcare systems. The concept underpins the rationale for equity-oriented universal health coverage and targeted health programmes for underserved populations in India's National Health Policy.

Reference: Park's Textbook of Preventive and Social Medicine, 27th ed.

High-yield for: NEET PGINI-CETNExTFMGEUSMLEPLABMRCP

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