The demand for private telehealth services in low- and middle-income countries

Evidence from South Africa

Datos Bibliográficos

ID4589124
AutoresMylene Lagarde (0000-0002-5713-2659, London School of Economics and Political Science), Irene Papanicolas (0000-0002-8000-3185), Nicholas A H Stacey (London School of Economics and Political Science, autor de correspondencia), Nicholas Stacey (0000-0002-3572-5314)
Año2024
Volumen354
Páginas116570
Fecha de publicación2024-08-01
Peer ReviewedSí
Open AccessSí
TipoARTICLE
RevistaSocial Science & Medicine (JOURNAL)
Identificadores de la revistaISSN: 0277-9536 • E-ISSN: 1873-5347
EditorialElsevier BV (PUBLISHER)
DOI10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.116570
PMID39002397
OpenAlexW4390667331
IdiomaEN
Citas recibidas1
Referencias citadas40

In low- and middle-income countries, many believe that telehealth services could significantly expand access to doctors by offering remote access at low cost. Yet, despite its convenience, telehealth care is limited by the absence of physical examination, point-of-care testing, or immediate treatment. Hence it is unclear how individuals value such options compared to standard face-to-face care. We study this issue in South Africa with general practitioners who today mostly practice in the private sector and are geographically located in wealthier areas with higher health insurance coverage. We use an incentive-compatible method to elicit robust measures of willingness-to-pay (WTP) for telehealth and face-to-face consultations with general practitioners in a sample of uninsured individuals. We find that only 36% of respondents are willing to pay the prevailing market price for a telehealth consultation. We find average WTP for in-person consultations is only 10% higher than that of telehealth. Additionally, individuals with higher health needs are willing to pay a premium for face-to-face consultations, while others are indifferent. Our findings suggest that private telehealth services are better suited for more minor health needs, but are unlikely to expand access to a majority unless cheaper models are introduced

Business · Developing country · Economic growth · Economics · Health care · Incentive · Private sector · Telehealth · Telemedicine · Willingness to pay · Healthcare Policy and Management · Medicine · Patient Satisfaction in Healthcare · Telemedicine and Telehealth Implementation