One of the most cited barriers to accessing health services in most low and middle-income countries is distance to the facility, not only geographically but also financially. Direct and time costs of accessing and using health care may limit health care access, impact welfare negatively, and lead to catastrophic spending especially among poorest households. The researchers in this study, estimated time costs as well as transport and medical costs of accessing and utilising maternal and child health services and examined the distribution of the costs across patient socioeconomic groups and place of residence (urban/rural) in Tanzania. The poorest and rural patients faced substantial time burden to access health care (travel and waiting) but incurred less transport and medical costs compared to their counterparts. The findings of this study can be extrapolated to access to all care. They reinforce the need for a greater investment in primary health care and bring care closer to the people to reduce access barriers and cost burdens especially among the vulnerable, and thereby enhance access to universal care.
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