Local Retention of User Fees in Government Health Facilities. HFS Small Applied Research Paper No. 3

摘要

This research paper examines the premises for locally retaining user fees collected from government health facility cost recovery programs. The benefits of not remitting fees to a central authority, such as greater motivations for fee payment and collection and new accountability at the local level are examined. In addition, arguments against local fee retention because of inequity across districts or problems with earmarking of funds are addressed. The cost recovery programs of four countries which do and do not practice local fee retention - Belize, the Central African Republic, Cameroon, and Swaziland - are detailed as examples, and information offered about legal considerations or legislation, fee management and use of funds.