Inequalities in access to medicines and out-of-pocket expenses, realities of the public health subsystem in the argentine interior

Abstract

Introduction: The availability of medicines represents a determining factor in household access to health. Objective: to identify barriers in access to medicines and the presence of out-of-pocket expenses in a city in the Argentine interior between March and October 2018. Method: cross-sectional, analytical study, in frequent users of public health services, through descriptive analysis, absolute frequencies , relative, prevalences, standard deviation, logistic regression with bivariate and multivariate analysis and Odds Ratio; with a 95% confidence interval and a statistical significance value p <0.05. SPSS statistical software was used in all analyzes. Results: The probability of not having access to medicines increased by 1.7 times more if you are a woman and by 2.8 times more if you need to spend out of pocket to have it. Out-of-pocket spending increased by 3.26 times the probability of doing it if you are older than 50 years and 3.59 times more if the medication is required for more than one year. The required out-of-pocket expenditure was between $ 1 and $ 34.72 for 80.51% of users. Conclusions: Low-income households are at greater risk of experiencing difficulties in accessing medications if they are older than 50 years and need medication for more than one year. The findings of this research suggest a review of strategies or public policies in the interior of Argentina aimed at reducing inequality gaps.