The unbearable cost of illness. Poverty, ill-health and access to health care: evidence from Lindi Rural District, Tanzania.
Citation
Witter, S. (2005) The unbearable cost of illness. Poverty, ill-health and access to health care: evidence from Lindi Rural District, Tanzania., , , no. 41, , London
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.