Abolishing user fees in Africa

PLoS Medicine

Volumn 6, Issue 1, 2009, Pages 0012-0014

  Ridde, Valéry ^a   Haddad, Slim ^a  

^a CENTRE HOSPITALIER DE L UNIVERSITÉ DE MONTRÉAL   (Canada)

Author keywords

[No Author keywords available]

Indexed keywords

AFRICA; HEALTH CARE ACCESS; HEALTH CARE COST; HEALTH CARE UTILIZATION; HEALTH INSURANCE; HEALTH SERVICE; HUMAN; SHORT SURVEY; WORLD HEALTH ORGANIZATION; ANEMIA; ECONOMICS; FEE; GHANA; HEALTH CARE DELIVERY; HEALTH CARE DISPARITY; MALARIA; NOTE; PRESCHOOL CHILD;

AFRICA; ANEMIA; CHILD, PRESCHOOL; FEES AND CHARGES; GHANA; HEALTH CARE COSTS; HEALTH SERVICES ACCESSIBILITY; HEALTHCARE DISPARITIES; HUMANS; MALARIA; PREPAID HEALTH PLANS;

EID: 59249102909     PISSN: 15491277     EISSN: 15491676     Source Type: Journal    
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pmed.1000008     Document Type: Short Survey

References (21)

1. World Health Organization (2008) The World Health Report 2008. Available: http://www.who.int/whr/2008/en/index.html. Accessed 21 November 2008.
2. James C, Hanson K, McPake B, Balabanova D, Gwatkin D, et al. (2006) To retain or remove user fees? Reflections on the current debate in low and middle-income countries Appl Health Econ Health Policy 5: 137-153.
3. Ansah EK, Narh-Bana S, Asiamah S, Dzordzordzi V, Biantey K, et al. (2009) Effect of removing direct payment for health care on utilisation and health outcomes in Ghanaian children: A randomised controlled trial. PLoS Med 6: e1000007. doi:10.1371/journal.pmed.1000007
4. Ekman B (2004) Community-based health insurance in low-income countries: A systematic review of the evidence. Health Policy Plan 19: 249-270.
5. Ouimet MJ, Fournier P, Diop I, Haddad S (2007) Solidarity or financial sustainability: An analysis of the values of community-based health insurance subscribers and promoters in Senegal. Can J Public Health 98: 341-346.
6. Ridde V (2008) "The problem of the worst-off is dealt with after all other issues": The equity and health policy implementation gap in Burkina Faso. Soc Sci Med 66: 1368-1378.
7. De Allegri M, Pokhrel S, Becher H, Dong H, Mansmann U, et al. (2008) Step-wedge cluster-randomised community-based trials: An application to the study of the impact of community health insurance. Health Res Policy Syst 22: 10.
8. King G, Gakidou E, Ravishankar N, Moore R, Lakin J, et al. (2007) A "politically robust" experimental design for public policy evaluation, with application to the Mexican universal health insurance program. J Policy Anal Manage 26: 479-506.
9. Ranson M, Sinha T, Chatterjee M, Gandhi F, Jayswal R, et al. (2007) Equitable utilisation of Indian community based health insurance scheme among its rural membership: Cluster randomised controlled trial. BMJ 334: 1309.
10. Whitehead M, Dahlgren G, Evans T (2001) Equity and health sector reforms: Can low-income countries escape the medical poverty trap? Lancet 358: 833-836.
11. Wagstaff A (2002) Poverty and health sector inequalities. Bull World Health Organ 80: 97-105.
12. Haddad S, Baris E, MAPHealth Team (2008) Methodological issues in evaluating public policy. In: Haddad S, Baris E, Narayana D, editors. Safeguarding the health sector in times of macroeconomic instability: Policy lessons for low- and middle-income countries. Trenton (NJ): Africa World Press; Ottawa: International Development Research Centre. pp. 53-86.
13. Lipsey MW (2007) Theory as method: Small theories of treatments. New Dir Program Eval 114: 30-62.
14. Maxwell JA (2004) Using qualitative methods for causal explanation. Field Methods 16: 243-264.
15. Pawson R (2006) Evidence-based policy. A realist perspective. London: Sage Publications. 196 p.
16. Criel B, Atim C, Basaza R, Blaise P, Waelkens M (2004) Community health insurance (CHI) in sub-Saharan Africa: Researching the context. Trop Med Int Health 9: 1041-1043.
17. Dobson D, Cook TD (1980) Avoiding type III error in program evaluation: Results from a field experiment. Eval Program Plann 3: 269-276.
18. Nabyonga J, Desmet M, Karamagi H, Kadama P, Omaswa F, et al. (2005) Abolition of cost sharing is pro poor: Evidence from Uganda. Health Pol Plann 20: 101-108.
19. World Health Organization (2008) Closing the gap in a generation: Health equity through action on the social determinants of health. Commission on Social Determinants of Health - Final report. Available: http://www.who.int/social- determinants/final-report/en/. Accessed 21 November 2008.
20. Ridde V, Diarra A (2009) From unintended to undesirable effects of health intervention: The case of user fees abolition in Niger (West Africa). In: Morell J, editor. Evaluating in the face of uncertainty: Anticipation and agility to improve evaluation quality [provisional Title]. New York: Guilford Press. In press.
21. Witter S, Aikins M, Kusi A (2007) Working practices and incomes of health workers: Evidence from an evaluation of a delivery fee exemption scheme in Ghana. Hum Res Health 5: 1-10.