Expenditure and payment sources for treating acute respiratory infections in rural Vietnam

This paper highlights important effects of the health sector reform in rural Vietnam, such as the expenditure for treatment, payment sources among patients and provision of private services. Using a cross-sectional design with a structured questionnaire, the occurrence of illnesses and utilization of health care for 4,769 members in randomly selected households were investigated, with a focus on acute respiratory infections (ARI). Three hundred and seventy people were reported to have suffered from an ARI in the four weeks prior to interview. In 96% of the cases some action had been taken, most often self-medication. The average expenditure for the first treatment was high, 25,000 Dong (US$ 1.7), which is appropriately equal to one third of the monthly per capita in the district. The majority of the expenditure was for drug purchasing in the private or public services. Expenditure for treatment of acute respiratory infections was highest in the hospitals, lower in commune health stations and private clinics, and lowest in the case of self-medication. There was no consultation fee at the commune health stations and private clinics. About half of the patients had borrowed money or sold agricultural products to pay for treatment. Only 2% of the patients benefited from health insurance. High burden of ARI, high cost of treatment and poor coverage of health insurance may create severe economic problems in poor families. Our findings indicate a need to develop pre-payment schemes and the appropriate allocation of resources in order to establish an efficient and equitable health care system.