Demand for Health Care Services in Bure Town
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Date
1999-06
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Publisher
A.A.U
Abstract
This study attempted to identify the determinants of seeking treatment during illness
and the demand for health care services among different providers in Bure Town. The factors
that are expected to have an influential impact were categorized as individual and/or
household specific variables 'and choice specific variables .
The data used to estimate' the effects of identified variables on the specified models
were collected though a field survey on 400 households of the residents in Bure Town
between February 16th to March 6th
, 1999. A systematic random sampling method was
designed and used for purposes of data collection in the assumption of homogeneity in the
population.
The estimated empirical model results showed that individual and/or household
specific variables such as sex of the patient, severity of illness, monthly income of the
household and household size and the choice specific variable, distance to reach the nearest
health facility, were found to have a significant effect on whether or not treatment was
sought, but not on the choice of provider of health care services.
On the other hand, age of the patient sex of the household head and education level
of the patient from the individual and/or household specific variables and quality variables,
medical cost of treatment per visit and waiting time for treatment from the choice specific
category were found to have their own strong influence on the choice of providers of health
care services with unexpected result that waiting time for treatment played in the choice of
public facilities and the medical cost of treatment per visit played in the choice of private
facilities which warrant us to perform fisher research in this area. The policy implication of
such findings is discussed.
Description
Keywords
Bure Town, Health Care