TY  - BOOK
AU  - Bitran, Ricardo A
AU  - McInnes, D Keith
ED  - Banco Mundial. Instituto de Desarrollo Económico
TI  - The demand for health care in Latin America : : lessons from the Dominican Republic and El Salvador
T2  - EDI seminar paper
SN  - 0-8213-2341-5
U1  - 362.1098 
PY  - 1993///
CY  - Washington, D.C.
PB  - World Bank. Economic Development Institute
KW  - ATENCION MEDICA
KW  - DEMANDA
KW  - EL SALVADOR
KW  - REPUBLICA DOMINICANA
N1  - Incluye bibliografía; Foreword -- Preface -- 1. Introduction -- 2. Principles of health care demand -- 3. Health care utilization patterns -- 4. Comparative analysis of demand determinants in Santo Domingo and San Salvador -- 5. Conclusion -- Bibliography -- Appendix A -- Appendix B: Methods and results from the econometric analysis od demand -- List of tables -- List of figures
N2  - Historically, less developed countries have relied heavily on their governments for the provision and financing of health care services. A common explanation for this is the widely-shared principle that health care is a right of every human being and that, in order to ensure that this right is exercised by all, health care services should be provided free of charge. The provision of free health care, it is commonly argued, can best be ensured through government-run health services. Free health care and government involvement in the financing and delivery of health services thus appear to respond to a fundamental concern for equity. The purpose of this paper is four-fold: (a) it defines basic concepts pertaining to the demand for health care; (b) it illustrates the political relevance of knowledge about demand; (c) it compares patterns and determinants of demand between Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic and San Salvador, El Salvador; and (d) it discusses the policy implications of the findings and provides recommendations for government health officials. The paper focuses on the effects of policy changes on utilization of alternative sources of care by different socioeconomic groups
ER  -