Hospital Waiting Time and Demand for Malaria Care. A Case Study of the Kumasi Metropolis in Ghana

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2013-06
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Abstract
According to Acton (1975) time cost in seeking health care has been increasing in recent times as a proportion of total cost due to the rising opportunity cost of time, and as out – of pocket money price decreases due to the spread of insurance. Van den Boom (2004) estimated that consulting a doctor takes on average four hours, and costs eight times more than self-medication in Ghana. Long waiting times tend to impose a time cost on consumers, which causes people to reduce demand for health care or look for alternative care (Grossman, 2000, Blundell & Windmeijer, 2000).This study was undertaking to determine the influence and effect of waiting time on the demand for health care from the hospital for malaria treatment. Multinomial logit and binary logit models were used in the estimation of the demand for health care for malaria, and the effect of waiting time on the demand for health care. The study found that the direct effect of waiting time on demand for health care for malaria for a sample population of 540 respondents in the Kumasi metropolis was negative, and the margin of change shows that increase in waiting time by 1 hour reduces demand for health care by 17%. Also, given longer waiting time; people are influenced to use health insurance to demand health care at free cost than paying cash, and also people demand health care from public hospitals than private hospital. The study recommends for waiting times to be reduced at the hospitals by increasing supply and capacity of operation of hospitals. Also the categories of people with higher opportunity cost time ( higher income earners and people employed) are to be advised to adopt preventive lifestyles by using treated mosquito nets, keeping clean environments, eating good to avoid frequent malaria attacks.
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A Thesis Submitted to the Department of Economics, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements for the Award of Master of Philosophy in Economics
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