Payments in the Public Sector for Reproductive Health Services in Eastern Europe and the Caucasus

Informal payments for health care services that patients are entitled to receive for free are highly prevalent in many countries of the Eastern Europe and the Caucasus (EE&C) region. Research has also highlighted the widespread reliance on abortion in this region. In several countries of EE&C, abortion rates are among the highest in the world. Historically, in most of the region, low-cost and safe abortions have been easy to access, whereas effective methods of contraception have not been. Little information exists in the literature on the financial costs to clients in the EE&C region who access abortion, family planning, and other reproductive health services. This report reviews relevant literature and describes the results of a secondary analysis of data from Demographic and Health Surveys and Reproductive Health Surveys conducted in three countries in the EE&C region (Armenia, Azerbaijan, and Georgia), to examine how financial and non financial factors may affect the provision of abortion,family planning, and obstetric services.