System-wide analysis of health financing equity in Cambodia: a study protocol

BACKGROUND: To assess progress towards universal health coverage, countries like Cambodia require evidence on equity in the financing and distribution of healthcare benefits. This evidence must be based on a system-wide perspective that recognises the complex roles played by the public and private sectors in many contemporary healthcare systems. OBJECTIVE: To undertake a system-wide assessment of who pays and who benefits from healthcare in Cambodia and to understand the factors influencing this. METHODS: Financing and benefit incidence analysis will be used to calculate the financing burden and distribution of healthcare benefits across socioeconomic groups. Data on healthcare usage, living standards and self-assessed health status will be derived from a cross-sectional household survey designed for this study involving a random sample of 5000 households. This will be supplemented by secondary data from the Cambodian National Health Accounts 2014 and the Cambodian Socioeconomic Survey (CSES) 2014. We will also collect qualitative data through focus group discussions and in-depth interviews to inform the interpretation of the quantitative analyses. POTENTIAL IMPACT: This study will produce previously unavailable information on who pays for, and who benefits from, health services across the entire health system of Cambodia. This evidence comes at a critical juncture in healthcare reform in South-East Asia with so many countries seeking guidance on the equity impact of their current financing arrangements that include a complex mix of public and private providers.