The findings reveal how healthcare costs, quality, and physical barriers play differing roles in the countries studied in preventing access, and how families are often impoverished by accessing needed care.
The government of Cambodia has recognized the negative impact of financial barriers on access to healthcare and has tested several approaches to lowering those barriers, including user fee exemptions and health equity funds.
The overall healthcare use in Pakistan is low due to a low responsiveness to illness symptoms. Increasing health awareness and changing health behaviors would be a key part of improving overall health outcomes.
In Lao PDR, travel and cost of care are the most significant barriers for the use of healthcare services. Although out-of- pocket spending on healthcare is low, it reflects a very low use of healthcare services.
In Timor-Leste large disparities exist in the use of maternal and child health services between the rich and the poor, and between Dili and other districts, with difficulties in travel being the main impediment to access for healthcare.