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Article History

Received: 4 July 2025

Accepted: 7 November 2025

First Online: 21 November 2025

Declarations

:

: Ethical approval was obtained from the relevant authorities. The ethical clearance was obtained by the District Health Officer (DHO), North Karnataka, where the study was conducted. Additional permissions regarding the study site were also obtained from the implementing NGO Selco Foundation. Approval was also provided to conduct the study by adhering with the ethics for conducting the primary study also provided by the Academic Supervisor from the National Institute of Technology Hamirpur, Himachal Pradesh. The authors have added the details in the declaration section. Further, the informed consent was taken from all the participants in recorded format before commencing the interview and transcribing from the respective healthcare providers including Doctors, Staff Nurses, Lab Technicians, Group D workers, trained helpers and respective community members where the study was conducted. They were also pre-informed about the objective and purpose of the study with the disclosure that all the obtained insights/information from the participants would be used purely for the research purpose only. Their identity will be kept anonymous and will not be revealed to any third party.

: All the authors have read and approved the final version of the manuscript and consent to its submission and publication in Discover Public Health. The study is based on original research conducted in rural areas from various districts such as Yadgir, Haveri, Dharwad, Mundgod, Karnataka, India and has not been published or submitted elsewhere. Where applicable, informed consent was obtained from all participants, including healthcare providers and community members, prior to data collection. Participants were informed about the purpose of the study, and their anonymity and confidentiality have been preserved in all stages of data handling and preparation of the manuscript for publication. No identifiable personal data has been disclosed. Necessary permissions and approvals were obtained from relevant local health authorities NGO’s ethical review board and institutional approval prior to the commencement of fieldwork.

: The authors declare no competing interests.