| Who Benefits from Public Healthcare Subsidies in Egypt? |
| Authors: |
Ahmed Shoukry Rashad, and Mesbah Fathy Sharaf |
| Source: |
Social Science Journal, 4, 1162–1176; doi:10.3390/socsci4041162 |
| Topic(s): |
Health care utilization
Inequality
Poverty
|
| Country: |
Africa
Egypt
|
| Published: |
NOV 2015 |
| Abstract: |
Direct subsidization of healthcare services has been widely used in many
countries to improve health outcomes. It is commonly believed that the poor are the main
beneficiaries from these subsidies. We test this hypothesis in Egypt by empirically analyzing
the distribution of public healthcare subsidies using data from Egypt Demographic and
Health Survey and Egypt National Health Accounts. To determine the distribution of
public health care subsidies, we conducted a Benefit Incidence Analysis. As a robustness
check, both concentration and Kakwani indices for outpatient, inpatient, and total healthcare
were also calculated. Results show some degree of inequality in the benefits from public
healthcare services, which varied by the type of healthcare provided. In particular, subsidies
associated with University hospitals are pro-rich and have inequality increasing effect,
while subsidies associated with outpatient and inpatient care provided by the Ministry of
Health and Population have not been pro-poor but have inequality reducing effect (weakly
progressive). Results were robust to the different analytical methods. While it is widely
perceived that the poor benefit the most from health subsidies, the findings of this study
refute this hypothesis in the case of Egypt. Poverty reduction measures and healthcare
reforms in Egypt should not only focus on expanding the coverage of healthcare benefits,
but also on improving the equity of its distribution.
Keywords: benefit incidence analysis; healthcare subsidies; inequality; poverty; Egypt |
| Web: |
http://www.mdpi.com/2076-0760/4/4/1162/htm |
|