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. 2005 Oct 1;331(7519):747-9.
doi: 10.1136/bmj.331.7519.747.

Impact on child mortality of removing user fees: simulation model

Chris James  1 , Saul S Morris, Regina Keith, Anna Taylor
Affiliations

Impact on child mortality of removing user fees: simulation model

Chris James et al. BMJ. .

Abstract

Objective: To estimate how many child deaths might be prevented if user fees were removed in 20 African countries

Design: Simulation model combining evidence on key health interventions' impacts on reducing child mortality with analysis of the effect of fee abolition on access to healthcare services.

Results: Elimination of user fees could prevent approximately 233,000 (estimate range 153,000-305,000) deaths annually in children aged under 5 in 20 African countries.

Conclusion: Given the relatively low cost of abolition, replacing user fees with alternative financing mechanisms should be seen as an effective first step towards improving households' access to health care and achieving the millennium development goals for health.

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Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Expected positive effects of abolition of user fees on access to key child health interventions
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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