The Palestinian Economy. Theoretical and Practical Challenges

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Abu-Zaineh – Mataria
(during the last month) are about 59.1% and 45.2% in the WB and GS, respectively,
whereas about 41.4% and 40.7% have been admitted to a hospital within the last year.
Table 4.1 presents income-quintile distributions of health care utilisation for primary,
secondary, and tertiary-levels. Results for each level of care are presented based on the
actual probability of any use/visit. The probability of use of primary (outpatient) and
secondary (inpatient) are also presented as per sub-categories of health care
sectors/providers: Public, Private and NGOs.
Results show that in the case of primary-level and in both regions of the OPT
lower-income groups are, in general, more intensive-users. This is demonstrated by the
negative gradients by quintile and the significantly negative values of CIs [CIs < 0 at p <
0.05], indicating a pro-poor inequality in the probability of using primary-level of care.
The pro-poor inequality in the probability of using primary-care appears to be greater in
the case of WB [CI = – 0.214] than in GS [CI = – 0.131]. This indicates that the poor in
the WB are generally more likely to use primary-care than their counterparts in GS.
The quintile distributions of primary-care as Public, Private or NGOs patient are also
presented in Table 4.1. The distributions of primary-care by income vary significantly
across the three sectors (providers). In the two regions (the WB and GS), lower-income
groups appear to be more intensive-users of primary-care in the Public and the NGOs
sectors: the probability of seeking primary-care in a public facility in the bottom-income
quintile is about 2 times higher in the WB, and 3 times higher in GS, than that of seeking
primary-care in the private sector. The reverse is true in the top-income quintile: the
probability of seeking primary-care in the private sector is about 3 times higher in the
WB, and 2 times higher in GS, than that of seeking primary-care in public sector.
Concerning the NGOs sector, results demonstrate higher probability of utilisation among
the poor with the probability of seeking primary-care in the bottom-income quintile being
about 2 times higher in the WB, and in 3 times higher in GS, than that of seeking
primary-care in private sector. Estimates of the CIs for sub-categories of primary-care
users – presented in Table 4.1 – confirm the above trends: the CIs for both public and
NGOs sectors appear to be significantly negative [CI < 0 at p < 0.05], whereas the CI of
private sector is significantly positive [CI 0 at p < 0.05].
With regards to secondary-level – both outpatient and inpatient type of care –
higher-income groups appear to be more intensive-users – as shown by the positive
gradients of quintile in the two regions. However, when the CI of the actual probability of
use is estimated, the positive sign appears to be statistically significant [CI < 0 at p