Unlike other implementing organizations in identify the poor in rural areas, Family Health Development sets specific criteria to explore less mobile people in slum area. People who stay six months or longer in the slum area are considered to have eligibility for process of pre-identification for the poor.
Those who are identified as poor are given Equity Access Card that they can use to access defined benefit packages including accessing health care services with free of charge, transportation fee to access public facilities, food allowance for care givers and cash for funeral in case of death. The poor are educated on client’s rights and the importance of the card, and several mechanisms were developed to encourage them to participate in monitoring the health service delivery at contracted public facilities.
HEF scheme operator (FHD) pays health provider for all health service expenses used by the poor at contracted facilities. FHD Staff are recruited and trained to manage scheme operation and involve in controlling quality of services provided by health providers. In addition to the existing quality control within the public facilities, FHD applies its own methods to make sure that health providers provide the HEF beneficiaries (the poor) with acceptable quality services. These methods include spot check, round ward and patient exit interview.
During 2010, the program helped 43,380 identified poor individuals access quality health services at public health facilities (a national hospital, a municipality referral hospital, two referral hospitals, and five health centers) free of charges.
The engaged health facilities provide appropriate services for health equity fund patients. However, problems have been raise among the health user and the health providers because supplies are not enough in the hospital or there is no Memorandum of Understanding between hospital and FHD. FHD is currently trying the best to solve this by helping the hospitals improve their services in order to attain the same level given to 'rich' patients.
