Abstract: Developing countries across the world require the supply of health care that is varied, widely available, easy to access, reasonably priced and also of high quality. This paper provides an overview of health care in Cambodia with focus on health care financing and health insurance. The system of delivery of health care services is described followed by an overview of the types of health centers in Cambodia. Furthermore, health care financing is described, providing details of the stakeholders who pay for health care (government and private) and the mechanisms available for financing. The current status of health insurance in Cambodia is also described. The author conducted a study to assess the awareness and interest of a sample population (50 participants) of Cambodian citizens with regard to health insurance programs/plans. The findings from the study highlighted the influence of cost in choosing health care facilities and deferring treatment. Furthermore, the findings drew attention to the fact that out-of-pocket (OOP) expenditure was significant in Cambodia in spite of government subsidies. Moreover, participants had limited awareness of health care programs and insurance schemes and hence were poorly covered under these. However, participants were willing to participate in insurance schemes if they were expected to pay only a partial component of the insurance fees. The author concludes the paper with a recommendation to widen the reach of health insurance to include the majority of the Cambodian population in order to improve overall health care.
Keywords: Cambodia, health care, service delivery, financing, out-of-pocket, insurance.
Title: Insurance as a Means to Improve Overall Healthcare in Cambodia
Author: Rajesh Purohit, Prof. Rajesh Mehrotra
International Journal of Management and Commerce Innovations
ISSN 2348-7585 (Online)
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