This paper published in the Oxford Journals Health Policy and Planning March 2015 issue compares the quality of clinical care and patient satisfaction in public and private outpatient primary care services in Sri Lanka.

This paper published in the Oxford Journals Health Policy and Planning March 2015 issue compares the quality of inpatient clinical care in public and private hospitals in Sri Lanka

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.

In Bangladesh, despite substantial gains in child and overall health, most mothers give birth outside health facilities, and many sick children do not receive appropriate medical care.

This country brief presents findings from analysis of the Papua New Guinea Household Survey 1996 and Household Income and Expenditure Survey 2009–2010, depicting how healthcare utilization has changed over a 13-year period.

Maternal–newborn health (MNH) care expenditures are a considerable burden on poor households in many countries. This paper commissioned by WHO reviews the available evidence and identifies pathways through which such spending causes poverty.