Removing user fees could improve service coverage and access, in particular among the
poorest socio-economic groups, but quick action without prior preparation could lead to …

User fees have triggered impassioned discussions in international health over the last two
decades. Promoted by a number of international organizations since the late 1980s as a …

In recent years, governments of several low-income countries have taken decisive action by
removing fully or partially user fees in the health sector. In this study, we review recent …

Many low-and middle-income countries continue to search for better ways of financing their
health systems. Common to many of these systems are problems of inadequate resource …

Several authors have stressed the fact that many policy reforms fail because of poor
formulation or implementation. On the other hand, the health financing literature provides …

Background While more and more West African countries are implementing public user fees
exemption policies, there is still little knowledge available on this topic. The long time …

In Africa, user fees constitute a financial barrier to access to health services. Increasingly,
international aid agencies are supporting countries that abolish such fees. However, African …

The political momentum towards the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals has
revitalized the debate around sustainable health sector financing and the adequacy of …

An international survey of health service user fee and exemption policies in 26 low-and
middle-income countries assessed whether user fee policies were supported by measures …

In recent years several countries have introduced reforms to user fees; a growing number of
countries are also introducing basic health care free at the point of use. In many cases, the …