Nearly eleven percent of the Rwandan population is estimated to have HIV/AIDs making this one of the most important health issues facing the country. One of the key research questions has been on use and out of pocket expenditures on health services by this population. This study uses a sample of nearly four hundred HIV positive individuals who were either enrolled in a HIV/AIDs support group or sought care at two health facilities to examine their socio-demographic status, and their use and expenditures on health services. Those seeking health care were more likely to be female, widowed, with little education, with per capita consumption expenditures that were higher than the national average. On average they had been HIV positive for over five years and in over a third of the households there was at least one other person who was HIV positive. They used over two visits per person in the last month implying a use rate of nearly twenty-four visits per year. The most common causes for health care visits were malaria, pneumonia, tuberculosis, and diarrhea. Expenditures on health care services by these individuals accounted for nearly twenty percent of household consumption. An interesting finding was that the amount borrowed was much greater than the cost of health services indicating that part of it was being used to finance routine household consumption. In nearly twenty percent of the cases, individuals had to sell their assets to pay for care.
Learning Objectives: To define private spending on HIV/AIDS
Keywords: HIV/AIDS, Utilization
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.