Building the infrastructure to reach and care for the poor: trends, obstacles and strategies to overcome them

Abstract

Infrastructure forms a critical part of health service delivery in any country. Availability, Accessibility, Affordability, Equity, Efficiency and Quality of MNH services highly depend on the distribution, functionality and quality of infrastructure. Most developing countries have invested substantially in developing health infrastructure in rural areas which provides a base for extending MNH services to the poor. Still, there is clear evidence that in many countries there are gaps and inadequacies in health infrastructure. The functionality and utilization of health infrastructure has been sub-optimal or poor due to a variety of reasons. This paper reviews available literature and assesses the coverage and gaps in infrastructure for MNH. It also identifies critical issues in management of infrastructure and analysis their causes and impact on services delivery to the poor. The paper also reviews impacts of reforms on infrastructure and provides some recommendations for improvement of infrastructure management so as to ensure better services to the poor.