Have financial difficulties compromised Christian health services' commitment to the poor?

Peter Rookes and Jean Rookes

Development in Practice, 2012, vol. 22, issue 5-6, 835-850

Abstract: Christian health services (CHSs) provide a substantial proportion of health services in many developing countries. This paper outlines the results of research which assessed whether the financial pressures resulting from a decline in their traditional funding sources have compromised CHSs' initial motivation to serve the poor. The two main approaches CHSs used to increase their income in the 13 countries investigated were by improving their access to government funds through increased cooperation, and increasing user fees. Although some of the CHSs studied seem to be targeting more affluent patients to increase their income, the majority retain their commitment to the poor despite their financial difficulties.Les difficultés financières ont-elles compromis l'engagement des services de santé chrétiens en faveur des pauvres ?Les services de santé chrétiens (SSC) assurent une part considérable des services de santé dans de nombreux pays en développement. Cet article présente les résultats de recherches qui évaluaient la question de savoir si les pressions financières causées par le déclin de leurs sources traditionnelles de financement ont compromis la motivation initiale des SSC, à savoir servir les pauvres. Les deux principales approches suivies par les SSC pour accroître leurs revenus dans les 13 pays étudiés consistaient à accroître leur accès aux fonds gouvernementaux au moyen d'une coopération accrue et à accroître les frais à la charge des utilisateurs. Bien qu'il soit ressorti que certains des SSC étudiés semblaient en effet viser des patients plus aisés pour accroître leurs revenus, la majorité d'entre eux conservent leur engagement en faveur des pauvres malgré leurs difficultés financières.As dificuldades financeiras têm afetado a dedicação dos serviços de saúde cristãos aos pobres?Os Serviços de Saúde Cristãos (SSCs) são responsáveis por uma proporção significativa dos serviços de saúde em vários países em desenvolvimento. Este artigo apresenta os resultados da pesquisa que avaliou se as pressões financeiras resultantes de um declínio em suas fontes de financiamento tradicionais têm comprometido a motivação inicial dos SSCs de servir aos pobres. As duas principais abordagens que os SSCs utilizaram para aumentar sua renda nos 13 países investigados foram a de aumentar seu acesso a fundos do governo através de maior cooperação, e aumentar os valores cobrados dos usuários. Embora alguns dos SSCs estudados parecem estar tendo como alvo pacientes mais prósperos para aumentar sua renda, a maioria mantém seu compromisso com os pobres apesar de suas dificuldades financeiras.Las dificultades financieras de los servicios de salud cristianos: ¿han disminuido su compromiso hacia los pobres?Los servicios de salud cristianos (SSC) proporcionan un alto porcentaje de los servicios de salud en muchos países en desarrollo. Este ensayo resume los resultados de una investigación sobre los problemas financieros que acusan los SSC al disminuirse el apoyo de sus fuentes tradicionales y se pregunta si estos problemas han repercutido en su compromiso hacia los pobres. En los 13 países investigados, los SSC utilizaron por lo general dos maneras para incrementar sus ingresos: por un lado, recibieron más fondos de dependencias gubernamentales ampliando su cooperación con ellas; por otro lado, incrementaron las tarifas que pagan los usuarios. Si bien algunos SSC prefieren atender a pacientes acomodados con el fin de aumentar sus ingresos, la mayoría mantiene su compromiso con los pobres a pesar de sus dificultades económicas.

Date: 2012
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DOI: 10.1080/09614524.2012.685869

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