International Journal of Health Policy and Management

International Journal of Health Policy and Management

“They Are After Quantity, Not Quality”: Health Providers’ Perceptions of Fee Exemption Policies in Morocco

Document Type : Original Article

Authors
Karen Van der Veken 1, 2
Fahdi Dkhimi 1
Bruno Marchal 1
Peter Decat 2
1 Department of Public Health, Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium
2 Department of Public Health and Primary Care, Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium
10.15171/ijhpm.2018.76
Abstract
Background
A free obstetric care policy (FOCP) has been implemented in Morocco in 2008 in order to further decrease maternal mortality.

 
Methods
Through in-depth interviews we explored the perceptions of health professionals in public Moroccan hospitals with regard to fee exemption policies. We tried to understand what drives health professionals to ignore, modify or apply a health policy as formulated.

 
Results
Respondents express significant influences of such policies on their work environment (higher workload and scarcity of resources) and on the patient/provider relationship, both of which may cause a negative effect on health workers’ motivation. A mix of motivational determinants incites health workers in their turn to influence policy implementation.

 
Conclusion
Understanding the motivational determinants of health workers may optimize policy implementation at the point of service delivery.
Keywords
Health Workers’ Motivation
Morocco
Exemption Mechanisms
Healthcare Reform
Policy Implementation
Subjects
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International Journal of Health Policy and Management
Volume 7, Issue 12
December 2018
Pages 1110-1119

  • Received Date 10 January 2018
  • Revised Date 02 August 2018
  • Accepted Date 06 August 2018
  • First Published Date 01 December 2018
  • Published Date 01 December 2018