Effects of new service charges on attendance at rural health facilities in Kenya

Kenyans have long enjoyed free outpatient health care at government facilities while paying for admission and for child delivery. In December 1989 user charges were introduced also for out-patient care at hospitals and health centres. This before-and-after study of one rural hospital, two health centres and two dispensaries in rural Kenya shows major and statistically significant early drops in outpatient attendance at the hospital (28%) and at the health centres (50 and 43%) followed by a slow increase during the following months. There was a modest, not significant, decline also at the dispensaries (14 and 7%) and in demand for services unaffected by the new fees and charges.