Riyadh Alshamsan1, Hannah Leslie2, Azeem Majeed3, Margaret Kruk2. 1. King Saud bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Saudi Arabia; Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, United States; Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Imperial College London, United Kingdom. Electronic address: riyadh.alshamsan@gmail.com. 2. Department of Global Health and Population, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, United States. 3. Department of Primary Care and Public Health, Imperial College London, United Kingdom.
Abstract
BACKGROUND: Countries globally are pursuing universal health coverage to ensure better healthcare for their populations and prevent households from catastrophic expenditure. The countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have and continue to implement reforms to strengthen their health systems. A common theme between the countries is their pursuit of universal health coverage to provide access to necessary health care without exposing people to financial hardship. METHODS: Using nationally representative data from the Global Findex study, we sought to analyze the hardship faced by individuals from four high-income countries in the GCC. We estimated the weighted proportion of individuals borrowing for medical reasons and those who are not able to obtain emergency funds. We further examined variations in these outcomes by key socioeconomic factors. RESULTS: We found up to 11% of respondents borrowed money for medical purposes, double of that reported in other high-income countries. In contrast to affluent respondents, we found that respondents from deprived background were more likely to borrow money for medical purposes (adjusted odds ratio: 1.81, P<0.001) and expected to fail in obtaining emergency funds (adjusted odds ratio: 4.03, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: In moving forward with their reforms, GCC countries should adopt a financing strategy that addresses the health needs of poorer groups in their pursuit of universal health coverage.
BACKGROUND: Countries globally are pursuing universal health coverage to ensure better healthcare for their populations and prevent households from catastrophic expenditure. The countries of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) have and continue to implement reforms to strengthen their health systems. A common theme between the countries is their pursuit of universal health coverage to provide access to necessary health care without exposing people to financial hardship. METHODS: Using nationally representative data from the Global Findex study, we sought to analyze the hardship faced by individuals from four high-income countries in the GCC. We estimated the weighted proportion of individuals borrowing for medical reasons and those who are not able to obtain emergency funds. We further examined variations in these outcomes by key socioeconomic factors. RESULTS: We found up to 11% of respondents borrowed money for medical purposes, double of that reported in other high-income countries. In contrast to affluent respondents, we found that respondents from deprived background were more likely to borrow money for medical purposes (adjusted odds ratio: 1.81, P<0.001) and expected to fail in obtaining emergency funds (adjusted odds ratio: 4.03, P<0.001). CONCLUSION: In moving forward with their reforms, GCC countries should adopt a financing strategy that addresses the health needs of poorer groups in their pursuit of universal health coverage.
Authors: Ahmad Fasseeh; Baher ElEzbawy; Wessam Adly; Rawda ElShahawy; Mohsen George; Sherif Abaza; Amr ElShalakani; Zoltán Kaló Journal: J Egypt Public Health Assoc Date: 2022-01-07
Authors: Xiaofeng Shi; Jianying Li; Fei Wang; Hasan Dinçer; Serhat Yüksel Journal: Int J Environ Res Public Health Date: 2019-09-07 Impact factor: 3.390