Results from some studies in rural area of Vietnam have shown that poor people are likely tend to sell assets while non poor people are able to pay for health care services. This makes poor people fall into poverty trap. Objectives: To identify the average household health expenditure during a year and sources of borrowing money and average amount of borrowing as well for health care services. Methods: 621 households were selected randomly from the Filabavi, Bavi District, Ha Tay Province. A longitudinal descriptive study was conducted for one year from July 2001 to June 2002. All selected households were interviewed one time per month. Results and conslusion: average payment household for health care services for one year was VND 519.000 (6.4% of total annual household income). Annual household income of poor group was VND 6,576,000, among this 8.4% was paid for health care services. There was 16.9% household had to borrow money for health care services average1y, while 23.1% of poor household had to borrow money for health care services. Borrowing sources included relatives (85%), neighbours (50%), Bank (26%), friends (15%), community organizations (9%) and private organizations with some interest (18%).
Health Expenditures, Rural Health

Insurance, Major Medical; Insurance; Insurance, Health; Costs and Cost Analysis A cross sectional study on 170 outpatients and 170 inpatients with health insurance card, was conducted at Saint Paul Hospital - Ha Noi. A half of outpatients had had to pay an extracost of 1.2 times in comparing with the insurant cost. Most of inpatients had had an extracost to pay by themselves of 1.1 times in comparing with those payed by the insurance system. The quality of care services, the waiting time, the quality of medications and redimdant official protocols made the patient offensive
Insurance, Major Medical ; Insurance ; Insurance, Health ; Costs and Cost Analysis

68 private pharmacies in Hanoi had participated in the study. There are 4 selected of pharmacy staff. For STD an increase of the number of righ advice on the use of condom and of the purchasers who receive a recommendation for consultation and for proper treatment. For under 5 year old children with infected of upper respiratory tract there is an increase of the number of the question about the fever and an decrease of the number of the selling of antibiotics. For the purchasers who ask prednisolon and cephalexin without prescription, there is an increase of refuse from the side of pharmacy staff.
Attitude of Health Personnel ; Early Intervention (Education) ; Pharmacy

A descriptive cross sectional study was performed on 11547 households (with 35832 persons aged ≥ 15, including 16734 males and 19095 females) in Ba Vi district, Ha Tay province. Among them 559 had a more than 3 weeks long cough without difference between 2 genders. More male subjects had got health insurance than female subjects. There were differences between 2 genders in considering other symptoms. Their majority were peasants. ** rate was higher in female than in male. The course of cough was long in male than in female subjects. Various factors such as the age, the living economic condition, moving measure, did not exert statistically significant influence. Private health facilities and home self treatment were the common services in use. For female subjects more services were used but with less quality than male
Health Services ; Cough ; Patients

The aims of the study were to survey the use of health services of 11089 households from September to December 1999 in Ba Vi district, Ha Tay province.The prevalence of self-reported illness during 4 weeks prior to the interview was 47.7%. The prevalence of self-treatment was from 62% to 73% and there was no significant diffefence between the economic status, educational level and occupation. Use of district hospitals was significantly higher in groups with higher education and among employeers. Private health facilities were used to a large extent, while community health stations played a less important role. The pattern to health services utilisation in Ba Vi is similar to other regions of Viet Nam.
Epidemiology ; Delivery of Health Care ; Community Health Services

To investigate /the knowledge and practice of drug sellers in private pharmacies in relation to providing prednisolon, a corticosteroid drug that have been regulated as a prescribed-only drug. Sixty private pharmacies in Ha Noi were randomly selected. Knowledge of pharmacy staffs was assessed using a pre-defined questionnaire. 70 interviews were conducted. The practice was assessed through the Simulated client Method (SCM), where 283 encounters were conducted. 60% of pharmacy staffs interviewed said that they would not dispense steroid without prescription. Among these, 58% stated that it is not allowed by prescription regulations. In practice all but one pharmacy dispensed steroids without prescriptions. In 79% of all the encounter steroid were dispensed. Considering the neglect of the prescription regulations and the frequently reported adverse effects due to use of steroid, this illegal pharmacy practice constitutes a public health problem
Pharmaceutical Preparations ; Public Health ; Pharmacy ; drugs ; Steroids

In 69 localities of the project of field survey at Ba Vi district, 690 old persons (aged > 60 years) were randomly enrolled into study. During 4 weeks, their morbidity accounts for 61.9%. Once they are ill, 70.7% access to health care including private health care system, which occupied the highest part. The choice of health care facilities mainly depends on the state of morbidity, the cost and the convenience to frequence. The old women, the prior persons and the celibates have the higher morbidity, the less rate of care and more influenced by the cost
Insurance, Health ; Delivery of Health Care ; Insurance ; aged ; epidemiology