BMJ 2008;336:982 (3 May), doi:10.1136/bmj.39563.499352.DB
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Reliance on direct payment for health care in Asia is higher in poorer than in richer countries, new study shows
Roger Dobson
| The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below. |
The proportion of the cost of health care that is paid directly by patients themselves varies widely in Asia, with the Japanese paying the least out of their own pockets and the Nepalese paying the most, new research shows (Journal of Health Economics 2008;27:460-75).
The researchers looked at healthcare financing in 13 countries and territories in central, southern, and eastern Asia, accounting for 55% of the total population of Asia and 33% of the world population. Direct payments by patients accounted for at least 30% of healthcare costs in all countries or territories except Japan, where the percentage was 13%. In Nepal the figure was 75%. In eight of the 13, including China, the proportion funded by patients themselves was more than 49%.
The proportion of healthcare costs paid from direct taxation also varied greatly, with 27% of costs in Hong Kong paid from direct taxes, whereas in the
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