Multidimensional Analysis for Agricultural Producers’ Health Care in Cameroon

Abstract

This research evaluates farmers' demand for health care in Cameroon by measuring the degree of access to public health care and estimating health care demand factors'. The methodology involves Lorenz curves' construction, the use of Multiple Correspondence Analysis and the construction of health care's demand model. The database used to produce the results is the Third Cameroonian Household Survey conducted by the National Institute of Statistics. First results indicate that the poorest farmers have less access to public health structures than farmers who are better off. Then, the cost of consultation determines the choice of medical sector for farmers. Farmers who are better off cover less distance to attain medical services than those who are poor. To solve this problem of health care's difficult access for poorest farmers, policymakers should stimulate demand by costs' discriminatory policies in order to give more opportunities to these farmers to get access to public health care.