Health Equity in Developing Countries: A Need for Effective and Responsive Public Service Delivery to Improve Access to Health Services

Abstract Cambodia has developed the health equity fund (HEF) system to improve access to health services for the poor, and this strengthens the health system towards the universal health coverage goal. Given rising healthcare costs, Cambodia has introduced several innovations and accomplished considerable progress in improving access to health services and catastrophic health expenditures for the targeted population groups. Though this is improving in recent years, HEF households remain at the higher risk of catastrophic spending as measured by the higher share of HEF households with catastrophic health expenses being at 6.9% compared to the non-HEF households of 5.5% in 2017. Poverty targeting poses another challenge for the health system. Nevertheless, HEF appeared to be more significantly associated with decreased out-of-pocket expenditure per illness among those who sought care from public providers. Increasing population and cost coverages of the HEF and effectively attracting beneficiaries to the public sector will further enhance the financial protection and pave the pathway towards universal coverage. Our recommendations focus on leveraging the HEF experience for expanding coverage and increasing equitable access, as well as strengthening the quality of healthcare services.

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Quality of Governance and Ethical Public Service Delivery (PSD) in Developing Countries

Journal of Management and Strategy ◽

10.5430/jms.v6n3p28 ◽

2015 ◽

Vol 6 (3) ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Jean-Claude Garcia-Zamor

Keyword(s):

Developing Countries ◽

Service Delivery ◽

Public Service ◽

Public Service Delivery ◽

Quality Of Governance

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Improving access to refugee-focused health services for people from refugee-like backgrounds in south-eastern Melbourne through the education sector

Australian Journal of Primary Health ◽

10.1071/py20233 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 27 (2) ◽

pp. 93

Author(s):

Katrina M. Long ◽

Shiva Vasi ◽

Susannah Westbury ◽

Sandy Shergill ◽

Chloé Guilbert-Savary ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Health Services ◽

Social Services ◽

Education Sector ◽

Access To Health Services ◽

Health And Social Services ◽

South Eastern ◽

Access To Health ◽

Service Referral ◽

Improve Access

People from refugee-like backgrounds living in Australia face substantial health challenges that benefit from access to health and social services. Many people from refugee-like backgrounds have frequent contact with education sector staff, who have the potential to act as conduits to health and social services. The aim of this project was to improve access to refugee-focused health services for people from refugee-like backgrounds in south-eastern Melbourne by codesigning and delivering a 1-day education forum to education sector staff. Evaluation of the forum used mixed-methods analysis of data from pre-post and follow-up surveys (n=11; administered before, immediately after and 1 month after the forum respectively), post-forum interviews (n=4) and one school’s referral records. The forum improved attendees’ refugee-focused health service referral knowledge, confidence and behaviour. This was supported by the qualitative findings of high staff motivation, high forum satisfaction and evidence of outcome sustainability. Education staff are an important complement to an integrated model of health care for recently resettled people from refugee-like backgrounds. These results show that a straightforward local intervention can improve the ability of education staff to act as conduits to health services, increasing access to health services for people from refugee-like backgrounds.

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Factors influencing women's use of health services for Sexually Transmitted Infections in eastern Nepal

Australian Health Review ◽

10.1071/ah030116 ◽

2003 ◽

Vol 26 (1) ◽

pp. 116 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Kalpana Poudel-Tandukar ◽

Krishina C Poudel ◽

Conlin Macdougall

Keyword(s):

Health Services ◽

Sexually Transmitted Infections ◽

Access To Health Services ◽

Self Medication ◽

Sexually Transmitted ◽

Male Health ◽

Inadequate Knowledge ◽

Access To Health ◽

Health Care Strategies ◽

Improve Access

This paper explores low levels of women's health service utilization for Sexually Transmitted Infections (STIs)in Nepal. We interviewed 120 women individually and 53 in focus groups. Predictors of lower utilisation were self-medication, consultation with faith healers, inadequate knowledge of STIs, beliefs about causes, fear, social taboos and stigmatisation, women's secondary status, and presence of male health professionals. Results indicate the importance of people's beliefs in their decisions about health care. Strategies to improve access to health services in Nepal should systematically investigate the role of all these factors to improve access to and utilisation of health services for STIs.

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