Socio-demographic determinants of inequity of access to health care in Poland in 2011--based on social diagnosis
Kolasa, K.; Rybnik, T.
Przeglad Epidemiologiczny 66(4): 681-688
2012
ISSN/ISBN: 0033-2100 PMID: 23484399 Document Number: 656913
The inequity in access to healthcare system is more and more discussed issue in Poland. One of its consequence is the low satisfaction of healthcare services in comparison to other European countries. to test for horizontal inequity with regards to healthcare services in Poland. The research hypothesis was to estimate whether there are differences in the health care utilization patterns by income and socio-demographic factors after standardizing for differences in the need for health care. The analysis was performed on a Social Diagnosis 2011. The methodology was adopted from publications by Eddy van Doorslaer, related to horizontal inequity. The study confirmed that inequity in access to healthcare system exist in Poland. It revealed that there is income inequality favoring the poor with regard to free of charge healthcare services and income inequality favoring the rich in terms of medical services available on the private healthcare market. The education status and place of residence contributed to the horizontal inequity. One of the consequences of coexistence of both private and public healthcare sector is inequity in access to healthcare services in Poland.