Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2010 Sep;25(5):427-36.
doi: 10.1093/heapol/czq011. Epub 2010 Mar 23.

Trends in out-of-pocket payments for health care in Kyrgyzstan, 2001-2007

Jane Falkingham  1 , Baktygul Akkazieva, Angela Baschieri
Affiliations

Trends in out-of-pocket payments for health care in Kyrgyzstan, 2001-2007

Jane Falkingham et al. Health Policy Plan. 2010 Sep.

Abstract

Within the countries of the former Soviet Union, the Kyrgyz Republic has been a pioneer in reforming the system of health care finance. Since the introduction of its compulsory health insurance fund in 1997, the country has gradually moved from subsidizing the supply of services to subsidizing the purchase of services through the 'single payer' of the health insurance fund. In 2002 the government introduced a new co-payment for inpatients along with a basic benefit package. A key objective of the reforms has been to replace the burgeoning system of unofficial informal payments for health care with a transparent official co-payment, thereby reducing the financial burden of health care spending for the poor. This article investigates trends in out-of-pocket payments for health care using the results of a series of nationally representative household surveys conducted over the period 2001-2007, when the reforms were being rolled out. The analysis shows that there has been a significant improvement in financial access to health care amongst the population. The proportion paying state providers for consultations fell between 2004 and 2007. As a result of the introduction of co-payments for hospital care, fewer inpatients report making payments to medical personnel, but when they are made, payments are high, especially to surgeons and anaesthetists. However, although financial access for outpatient care has improved, the burden of health care payments amongst the poor remains significant.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Proportion paying for services during hospitalization, 2001–2007.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Total expenditure on hospitalization (excluding food) by economic status, 2007.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Payments for hospitalization in excess of co-payment rate, 2007.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Abel-Smith B, Falkingham J. Private Payments for Health Care in Kyrgyzstan. London: Overseas Development Administration, Health & Population Division, Central Asia; 1995.
    1. Baschieri A, Falkingham J. Formalizing informal payments: the progress of health reform in Kyrgyzstan. Central Asian Survey. 2006;25:1–20.
    1. Bonilla-Chacin M, Murrugarra E, Temourov M. Health care during transition and health systems reform: evidence from the poorest CIS countries. Social Policy and Administration. 2005;39:381–408.
    1. Ensor T, Savelyeva L. Informal payments for health care in the Former Soviet Union some evidence from Kazakhstan. Health Policy and Planning. 1998;13:41–9. - PubMed
    1. Falkingham J. London: London School of Economics and Political Science; 2001. Health, health seeking behaviour and out of pocket expenditures in Kyrgyzstan 2001. DFID-funded Kyrgyz Household Health Finance Survey: Final Report.

Publication types

MeSH terms