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Informal patient payments for health care services: policy challenges and strategies for solutions

Publication date: 2010

Public Health and Governance, 2010, Volume 8, Issue 1, pp. 5 - 11

Authors

,
Milena Pavlova
Department of Health Services Research; CAPHRI, Maastricht University Medical Center; Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, The Netherlands / Top Institute Evidence-Based Education Research (TIER), Maastricht University, The Netherlands
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6082-8446 Orcid
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,
Tetiana Stepurko
Department of Health Services Research; CAPHRI, Maastricht University Medical Center; Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, The Netherlands
School of Public Health of National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Voloska St. 10, Kyiv, Ukraine
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8267-1585 Orcid
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,
Vladimir S. Gordeev
Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands
Department of Health Services Research; CAPHRI, Maastricht University Medical Center; Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, The Netherlands
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,
Sonila Tomini
Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University
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,
Irena Gryga
School of Public Health of National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Voloska St. 10, Kyiv, Ukraine
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Wim Groot
Department of Health Services Research; CAPHRI, Maastricht University Medical Center; Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, The Netherlands / Top Institute Evidence-Based Education Research (TIER), Maastricht University, The Netherlands
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1035-5916 Orcid
All publications →

Titles

Informal patient payments for health care services: policy challenges and strategies for solutions

Abstract

The topic of informal patient payments is rather new in policy discussions although the phenomenon has existed for decades. These payments are a threat to public health since they jeopardise efficiency, equity and quality of health care provision. Most importantly, those who  cannot afford to pay might not seek or delay seeking treatment. Before attempting to deal with informal patient payments, it is necessary to understand the reasons for their existence and their role in health care provision. This could indicate the mechanisms through which these payments can be influenced by policy, as well as relevant strategies for dealing with these payments. This paper outlines a mixture of strategies as a plausible solution to informal patient payments. The successful implementation of these strategies depends on the particular setting and the overall conditions in the country (e.g. prevalence of corruption, and attitudes of health system stakeholders towards informal payments).

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Information

Information: Public Health and Governance, 2010, Volume 8, Issue 1, pp. 5 - 11

Article type: Original article

Titles:

Polish:

Informal patient payments for health care services: policy challenges and strategies for solutions

English:

Informal patient payments for health care services: policy challenges and strategies for solutions

Authors

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6082-8446

Milena Pavlova
Department of Health Services Research; CAPHRI, Maastricht University Medical Center; Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, The Netherlands / Top Institute Evidence-Based Education Research (TIER), Maastricht University, The Netherlands
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6082-8446 Orcid
All publications →

Department of Health Services Research; CAPHRI, Maastricht University Medical Center; Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, The Netherlands / Top Institute Evidence-Based Education Research (TIER), Maastricht University, The Netherlands

https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8267-1585

Tetiana Stepurko
Department of Health Services Research; CAPHRI, Maastricht University Medical Center; Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, The Netherlands
School of Public Health of National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Voloska St. 10, Kyiv, Ukraine
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8267-1585 Orcid
All publications →

Department of Health Services Research; CAPHRI, Maastricht University Medical Center; Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, The Netherlands

School of Public Health of National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Voloska St. 10, Kyiv, Ukraine

Maastricht University, Maastricht, Netherlands

Department of Health Services Research; CAPHRI, Maastricht University Medical Center; Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, The Netherlands

Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University

School of Public Health of National University of Kyiv-Mohyla Academy, Voloska St. 10, Kyiv, Ukraine

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1035-5916

Wim Groot
Department of Health Services Research; CAPHRI, Maastricht University Medical Center; Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, The Netherlands / Top Institute Evidence-Based Education Research (TIER), Maastricht University, The Netherlands
https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1035-5916 Orcid
All publications →

Department of Health Services Research; CAPHRI, Maastricht University Medical Center; Faculty of Health, Medicine and Life Sciences, Maastricht University, The Netherlands / Top Institute Evidence-Based Education Research (TIER), Maastricht University, The Netherlands

Published at: 2010

Article status: Open

Licence: None

Percentage share of authors:

Milena Pavlova (Author) - 16%
Tetiana Stepurko (Author) - 16%
Vladimir S. Gordeev (Author) - 16%
Sonila Tomini (Author) - 16%
Irena Gryga (Author) - 16%
Wim Groot (Author) - 20%

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Publication languages:

English

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