Objective A growing number of developing countries are developing health insurance schemes to protect people, particularly the poor, from financial catastrophe caused by expensive medical care. Among them are China and Vietnam, which have experienced rapid economic development and dramatic social changes over the past two decades. All these changes have had profound implications for every aspect of people's lives. Health care financing reforms in the two countries have led health facilities to rely increasingly on user charges, which has resulted in greater financial difficulties in accessing health care, especially for the rural poor. Although the central governments of both countries have promoted the development of rural health insurance for many years, the po pulation coverage has been far from satisfactory, due to many political, socio-economic and managerial factors. The proposed research will promote equitable health care financing mechanisms in the two countries by developing and disseminating an evidence b ase for the design and implementation of sustainable and acceptable rural health insurance schemes. The research project will adopt a case study approach in which a number of study counties and districts where rural health insurance schemes already exist will be selected for implementing revised schemes that are feasible and meet the perceived needs of their target population. It will monitor and evaluate the effects of the schemes from the perspectives of equitable coverage, user satisfaction, efficie nt service use and provision, poverty reduction and sustainability. It is expected that the final project results (good practice and lessons learnt) will be disseminated to a wide audience and used to inform relevant policies on rural health insurance in China, Vietnam and other developing countries. Programme(s) FP6-INCO - Specific measures in support of international cooperation: Specific activities covering wider field of research under the Focusing and Integrating Community Research programme 2002-2006. Topic(s) INCO - Specific measures in support of international co-operation INCO-2003-A1.2 - Healthcare systems and management Call for proposal FP6-2003-INCO-DEV-2 See other projects for this call Funding Scheme STREP - Specific Targeted Research Project Coordinator LIVERPOOL SCHOOL OF TROPICAL MEDICINE Address Pembroke place Liverpool United Kingdom See on map Links Website Opens in new window EU contribution € 0,00 Participants (7) Sort alphabetically Sort by EU Contribution Expand all Collapse all AOK-CONSULT GMBH Germany EU contribution € 0,00 Address Kortrijkerstrabe 1 Bonn See on map Links Website Opens in new window DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH PLANNING AND FINANCE, CHINA MINISTRY OF HEALTH China EU contribution € 0,00 Address Xizhimenwai nanlu 1 Xicheng district, beijing See on map Links Website Opens in new window FUDAN UNIVERSITY China EU contribution € 0,00 Address 220 han dan road Shanghai See on map Links Website Opens in new window HEALTH POLICY UNIT, DEPARTMENT OF PLANNING AND FINANCE, MINISTRY OF HEALTH, VIETNAM Vietnam EU contribution € 0,00 Address 138a giang vo street Hanoi See on map Links Website Opens in new window HEALTH STRATEGY AND POLICY INSTITUTE, MINISTRY OF HEALTH, VIETNAM Vietnam EU contribution € 0,00 Address 138 giang vo street Hanoi See on map Links Website Opens in new window KAROLINSKA INSTITUTET Sweden EU contribution € 0,00 Address Nobels vag 5 Stockholm See on map Links Website Opens in new window SHANDONG UNIVERSITY China EU contribution € 0,00 Address Shanda nanlu 27 Jinan, shandong See on map Links Website Opens in new window
