There is currently considerable discussion between governments, international agencies,
bilateral donors and advocacy groups on whether user fees levied at government health …

This paper reviews recent experiences with increases in user charges and their effect on the
utilization of health care. Evidence from several countries of differences in utilization …

Objective To document the patterns of health service utilization and health payments at
public and private facilities across countries. Method We used data from the World Health …

Despite its high political interest, the impact of removing user charges for health care in low‐
income settings remains a debatable issue. We try to clear up this contentious issue by …

During the 1980s and 1990s, health sector reforms to improve the efficiency of health
systems and the quality of care provided were implemented in low-income countries, mainly …

Following a nationwide increase in user fees for health services in Swaziland, this paper
analyzes the effect of the fee increase on overall patient use of health services, on which …

In response to shortages in public budgets for government health services, many developing
countries around the world have adopted formal or informal systems of user fees for health …

Abstract In May 2006, the President of Burundi announced the removal of user fees in all
health centres and hospitals for children under 5 and women giving birth. As other studies …

SUMMARY In 2008, the Government of Sudan launched a policy of free curative care for
under‐fives and caesareans. This paper presents the findings of a review of this policy, on …

Background It has been argued that quality improvements that result from user charges
reduce their negative impact on utilization especially of the poor. In Uganda, because there …