| For-profit sector immunization service provision: does low provision create a barrier to take-up? |
| Authors: |
Neeraj Sood, and Zachary Wagner |
| Source: |
Health Policy and Planning, 2012 Nov 9. [Epub ahead of print] |
| Topic(s): |
GIS/GPS
Immunization
|
| Country: |
Africa
Kenya
|
| Published: |
NOV 2012 |
| Abstract: |
Achievement of the health-related Millennium Development Goals is dependent
on increasing take-up of preventive public health services (PHSs) in developing
countries. Poor country governments often lack the resources to provide optimal
access to preventive services and a great deal of attention is being directed
towards the private sector to fill this void. In many developing countries, the
private sector already plays a large role in health care. However, the for-profit
private sector has little incentive to provide PHSs. The lack of provision of
services by the for-profit sector may create a barrier to take-up of these services.
In this study, we use data from a census of health facilities combined with data
from community and provider surveys from Kenya to analyse whether the
private for-profit sector has lower provision rates of child immunization services,
and subsequently whether this creates a barrier that results in lower immunization
take-up. We show that only 34% of for-profit facilities provide
immunizations and that in areas with a larger share of for-profit providers,
children are more likely to have no immunization coverage. Our model predicts
that the odds of a child receiving no immunization coverage are 4.8 times higher
in areas where all health facilities are for-profit compared to areas with no
for-profit facilities. This indicates that a policy of engagement with the private
for-profit sector aimed at increasing provision of immunization services may be
an effective strategy for increasing take-up.
Keywords Private sector engagement, immunizations, public health services, sub-Saharan
Africa, Kenya |
|