This pilot study examined the private out-of-pocket costs incurred by patients attending hospital outpatient consultations in Ireland. Data from 42 patients showed a median cost of €131 per visit and an average annual expense of €559, with additional burdens such as...
Tanzania’s government significantly increased primary health care (PHC) spending between 2021/22 and 2022/23, raising per capita expenditure and spending per outpatient visit. Despite this progress, current PHC spending remains well below global standards and the...
Since October 2022, the National Health Security Office has incorporated pharmacy services for 16 common conditions, including headache, dizziness, pain in joint, muscle pain, fever, cough, sore throat, stomachache, diarrhoea, constipation, dysuria, vaginal discharge,...
The COVID-19 pandemic has caused a double shock – health and economic. Strengthening health financing systems has been a stressful task, not only for developing countries but also for developed countries. This study compares the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the...
China’s 2009 health-care reform expanded Universal Health Coverage (UHC), but inequalities persist for internal migrants. Analysis of nearly one million migrants (2013–2018) showed high medical insurance enrollment (87.4%) and financial protection improvements, but...
A rural China policy waiving copayments for essential medicines in primary care (PC) significantly increased PC visits by 44% and outpatient spending at PC facilities by 40%. At the same time, outpatient hospital visits fell by 26%, though hospital spending and...
Greece’s health system has faced mounting strain from ageing populations, chronic diseases, financial pressures, and shocks like COVID-19 and climate change, which have exposed deep structural weaknesses. Although multiple reforms have aimed to improve funding,...
Concerns exist that performance-based financing (PBF) may erode intrinsic motivation by emphasizing financial incentives, though it could also enhance morale through improved conditions. Using six national pilot evaluations across Cameroon, Kyrgyz Republic, Nigeria,...
Internal migration in the Netherlands from 1998 to 2018 altered regional healthcare cost disparities by concentrating younger, healthier individuals in prosperous provinces and older, sicker individuals in disadvantaged ones. Using a novel framework that adjusts for...
This study examines healthcare access and the factors contributing to unmet needs among migrants in Phuket Province, Thailand. The findings reveal that unmet needs are primarily linked to undocumented status, financial barriers, and language difficulties. Employment...
This study examines the renewed push for a Universal Health Coverage (UHC) bill in Lebanon, analyzing its emergence on the policy agenda through Kingdon’s framework. Findings show that public pressure, a dedicated parliamentary committee, and political receptiveness...
This study explored the contextual factors affecting Iran’s basic universal health insurance program for Afghan refugees using the PESTEL framework. Through interviews with 22 stakeholders, researchers identified 61 factors across six main themes: political, economic,...
This study examined catastrophic health expenditures (CHEs) among low-income households in South Korea using machine learning methods on 2019 Korea Health Panel data. Results showed a 26.2% incidence of CHE, with AdaBoost performing best in prediction, highlighting...
This study explored administrative stakeholders’ perspectives on Nigeria’s state-supported health insurance schemes (SSHIS) across six states. While the schemes improved health indices, infrastructure, equity, and financing, they face challenges including low...
This study explored how public financial management (PFM) processes influenced the implementation of Kenya’s 2019 Universal Health Coverage (UHC) pilot in four counties through qualitative interviews and focus group discussions. Findings revealed that while a hybrid...
