The unbearable cost of illness. Poverty, ill-health and access to health care: evidence from Lindi Rural District, Tanzania.

Abstract

Save the Children has studied the effects of user fees in healthcare on poor households in Tanzania. We have found that: • user fees inhibit the use of public healthcare, particularly for households coping with chronic illnesses • fee exemptions systems are complicated and difficult to understand; frequently they do not reach target groups • families with chronic health problems are likely to become significantly poorer. Save the Children recommends that: • user fees in healthcare are ended • central healthcare spending is increased • healthcare delivery is reformed to better suit the needs of families coping with chronic illness.