Subsidised treatment for specific health conditions

Subsidising treatment for specific diseases, chronic health conditions or emergency obstetric care is a potential strategy for increasing equity of access to health care. This strategy recognises the relationship between untreated disease and risks of impoverishment, through catastrophic or recurrent health care expenditures.

Pre-requisites for these schemes to work include:

• political commitment to subsidisation and timely release of funds
• information to users on which health services are free
•  appropriate medical package in health facilities (e.g. HIV/AIDS specialists).

This type of strategy is increasingly pursued, as demonstrated by the inflation of Global Health Partnership (GHP) initiatives as discussed in the last section of this document. They however lack pro-poor objectives, although the very poor may benefit if awareness raising strategies are oriented appropriately. Consequently, there is limited documented evidence on both the impact and the cost of providing subsidised health care treatment for the very poor.