Table 1.

Control variables used in the study

Control variable	Explanation	Code	Variable type	Data source
Number of medical doctors in the PHC	This variable determines the NMD that are posted in the PHC. The PHC can have either one of three possibilities, that is, zero, one or two medical doctors.	NMD	Ordinal	Field visit to PHC
Laboratory technician availability	This variable determines the LT posted in the PHC. The PHC is assigned value of 0 or 1 based on absence or presence of LT.	LTA	Binary	Field visit to PHC
Population covered	This variable determines the population covered under each PHC. The PHC population coverage data are categorized into four intervals of 0–25 quartile (1), 25–50 quartile (2), 50–75 quartile (3) and 75–100 quartile (4).	PC	Interval	Data from DHO and Census 2011

PHC = primary health center; DHO = District Health Office.