Demand for healthcare by the elderly in developing countries

Farmeconomia. Health economics and therapeutic pathways 2016; 17(2) © SEEd All rights reserved A summAry And critique of sunkAnmi odubunmi’s point of view Based on Farrell et al. [5], the demand-side factors of healthcare services refer to those factors that affect the pattern of usage and the actual demand for the services, which could be influenced by multiple factors like burden of illness, population preferences and related healthcare consumption patterns. On the other hand the supply-side factors refer to those factors related to the supply of human, physical and other resources required to deliver effective healthcare services. One of the main themes in Odubunmi’s article [4] is the consideration of the factors that influence health-seeking behaviour and access to health services (both simply referred to as demand for healthcare services). Odubunmi observed that the focus of health policy interventions has mostly been on reducing the supply barriers, such as improving personnel quality, protocols of treatment, enhancing availability of supplies and improving the ambience of health facilities [6], and noted that the supply-side is not sufficient to solve the country’s health problems, but that the demand-side is equally important [7,8]. Even with these interventions, they do not holistically address the barriers to accessing health services by the elderly in low-income countries like Nigeria. Odubunmi noted that employing psycho-social analysis on the elderly during their episodes of illness will help reduce healthcare cost attributable to the specific case. Factors like income, cost of care, education, social norms and traditions, and the quality and appropriateness of the services provided are seen as key factors determining access to appropriate healthcare services. Individuals make decisions from a number of accumulated advices, and within risks and benefits, as well as available resources [9]. These decisions are introduction Throughout history, humanity has been at crossroads on the issue of healthcare delivery. This applies to both developed and developing nations, faced with challenges in their citizens’ access to healthcare services. Recent discussions have focused on public health and ownership of the healthcare system. However this does not take into cognizance the economics of healthcare services particularly the demand-side challenges faced by the elderly people in developing countries like Nigeria. A number of development policies have been conceived in Nigeria over the years particularly following the conception and implementation of the National Economic and Empowerment Development Strategy (NEEDS) policy in 2004 [1] that has continued to attract further research and elicit responses and analyses from various stakeholders. Social programmes constitute the major part of these public policies engineered around development of which health is a major focus. The need to address healthcare challenges is justified by the saying that ‘health is wealth’, and because it assures life. Yet, healthcare programmes like other tokens of governance are often negotiated within closed circles of policy elites with little or no reference made to the preferences of the less-privileged citizens [2]. Ruff et al. [3] emphasized the necessity of considering both the demand-side and supply-side factors in healthcare policymaking and planning. The analysis of Sunkanmi Odubunmi [4] upon which this editorial is based, though much more applies to policymakers in the effective management of the health system, it nevertheless addresses the demand-side constraints erected by the supply-side factors. The supply-side system is thus important in analysing the demandside factors for effective healthcare delivery. Corresponding author Yinka Kehinde Binuomoyo ykbinuomoyo@gmail.com