Paying Bribes, Fear of Reporting, And How It Impedes Seeking Medical Health Care in Ghana.

• In Event: Poster Session 2

Abstract

Universal health coverage (UHC) proposes that everybody has the right to get health care without financial constraints. However, healthcare avoidance is a global issue, particularly in developing countries. Given the prevalence of medical care avoidance in Sub-Saharan Africa, it is necessary to identify its underlying reasons through studies. To obtain a better understanding of why people forgo medical care in Sub-Saharan Africa, notably in Ghana, this study uses the Afobarometer 2022 (round 9) data to evaluate how paying bribes—a specific type of corruption in health care—influences people's decisions to go without medical care. Additionally, examine whether individuals' fear of retaliation prevents them from reporting paying bribes and how this influences medical health-seeking behavior in Ghana. The results show the magnitude to which bribery causes people to avoid medical care. Furthermore, the study found a significant association between paying bribes and the fear of reporting retaliation and seeking medical attention. Thus, people pay bribes, are afraid of retaliation, and, as a result, hinder their health-seeking behavior. These findings have important implications for policymakers in the context of the current quest of African countries, particularly Ghana, to make progress towards the goal of UHC.

Author

• Veronica M. Ahadzie, Winthrop University