Disability As a Determinant of Access to Health Care Services in Colombia

 

Disability as a determinant of access to health care services in Colombia

The relationship between disability and poverty has been described in different contexts. Nevertheless, the basic characteristics of this relationship have not yet been fully established. The social exclusion and discrimination against people with disabilities increase the risk of poverty and reduce the access to basic opportunities such as health and education. This study examines the impact of a health limitation and poverty in the access to health care services in Colombia. Data from the Colombian National Health Survey (2007) was used in the analysis. Variables related with health condition and socioeconomic characteristics were first generated. Then interactions between health limitations and the lower levels of the asset index were created. This variable gave information related to the relationship between disability and poverty. A probabilistic model was estimated to examine the impact of a health condition and the relation between poverty and disability on the access to health care. The results suggest that the main determinants of the access to health care services in Colombia are living with a health condition, gender, level of education, area, region and level of asset index. Living with a physical limitation increases by 10% the probability of access to health care services. However, people with a disability in the lowest quartile of the asset index have a 5% less probability of access. We conclude that people who live with a health limitation have a higher probability of access to health care services. However, poor and disabled people have a lower probability in access, which increases the risk of having a severe disease and become chronically poor. These findings are similar to international evidence and they give information about the social exclusion poor and disable people face in the access t health care services.