Does Inequity Exist in Health Care Use? Evidence from Rural Bangladesh

28 Pages Posted: 5 Jul 2013

See all articles by Syed Abdul Hamid

Syed Abdul Hamid

University of Dhaka

Syed M. Ahsan

Concordia University, Quebec - Department of Economics; CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute)

Afroza Begum

Institute of Microfinance (InM)

Chowdhury Abdullah Al Asif

Institute of Microfinance (InM)

Date Written: July 3, 2013

Abstract

This paper analyzes inequity in health care use in rural Bangladesh using data from a survey conducted by Microinsurance Research Unit (MRU) of the Institute of Microfinance (InM) of about 4,000 households drawn from 120 villages. The study focuses on formal health care use over the 12 months preceding the survey. We used "need standardized" approach and "decomposition analysis" for measuring inequity. The paper finds that the use of formal health care is incredibly low (40%). Inequity in formal health care use favors the better-off although the level of inequity is not sizable. Inequity prevails in gender and age groups to some extent. NCDs is the main contributor amongst the need variables and education of the household head amongst the non-need variables. Obviously, the main concern in rural Bangladesh is the low use of formal health care, not inequity; hence the country needs to innovate upon means of enabling access to formal health care use.

Keywords: Inequity, pro-poor, pro-rich, decomposition analysis, need standardized approach, Bangladesh

JEL Classification: I11, I14, I18, G28

Suggested Citation

Hamid, Syed Abdul and Ahsan, Syed M. and Begum, Afroza and Asif, Chowdhury Abdullah Al, Does Inequity Exist in Health Care Use? Evidence from Rural Bangladesh (July 3, 2013). Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2289372 or http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.2289372

Syed Abdul Hamid (Contact Author)

University of Dhaka ( email )

Arts Faculty Building
Ramna, Dhaka, 1000
Bangladesh
+8801711441437 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://www.ihe.ac.bd

Syed M. Ahsan

Concordia University, Quebec - Department of Economics ( email )

1455 de Maisonneuve Blvd. W.
Montreal, Quebec H3G 1MB
Canada
1-514-848-2424, Extn. 3906, 39 (Phone)
1-514-848-4536 (Fax)

CESifo (Center for Economic Studies and Ifo Institute) ( email )

Poschinger Str. 5
Munich, DE-81679
Germany

Afroza Begum

Institute of Microfinance (InM) ( email )

2/1, Block-D, Lalmatia, Dhaka, Bangladesh.
Dhaka
Bangladesh

HOME PAGE: http://www.inm.org.bd

Chowdhury Abdullah Al Asif

Institute of Microfinance (InM) ( email )

Dhaka
Bangladesh
+88-01711986941 (Phone)

HOME PAGE: http://www.inm.org.bd

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