A field study of determination of helath services utilization and catastrophic health expenditures of households receive aid from the Etimesgut county social solidarity foundation

A FIELD STUDY OF DETERMINATION OF HEALTH SERVICES UTILIZATIONAND CATASTROPHIC HEALTH EXPENDITURES OF HOUSEHOLDS RECEIVEAID FROM THE ETIMESGUT COUNTY SOCIAL SOLIDARITY FOUNDATIONFikriye YILMAZSUMMARYPoverty is not only income insufficiency, but also a complex and multidimensionalphenomenon interaction with such components as ill health, uneducation and malnutrition. Therelationship between poverty and ill health has an impact on not only people who live inpoverty, but also communities, organizations and more generally countries.The aim of the study is to expose the relationship between socio- demographic characteristicsand health status of households and poverty, to clarify factors which affect catastrophic healthexpenditures. The study covers 92 households determined as priority group for assistances byEtimesgut Social Solidarity Foundation in Ankara. In this study, socio-demographiccharacteristics, living standards of households and their situations whether they facecatastrophic health expenditures are examined.In the study, it was founded that poverty and households? socio-demographic characteristics,living standards are strongly related. Poverty rate of female-headed households (61.33 %) ismore than that of male-headed households (32.8 %). It was founded that household membersdelayed seeking help averagely 4.66 times in past year. 125 household members (34.3%) haveat least one chronic illness and /or disability. 14 households (15.2 %) face catastrophic healthexpenditures and their health expenditures constitute averagely 62.3 % of their non-foodexpenditures. Indirect result of study findings is that these costs create a big burden in not onlyindividual level, but also health systems level. The study?s results should be carefullyevaluated not only by policy makers and local administrations? point view, but also in terms ofgovernments? health sector financing and resource utilization perspective.Key Words: Poverty, catastrophic health expenditure, health care utilization, social assistance,health sector finance.