Non-financial access to healthcare services in rural areas: A case study of people with disabilities living in Northern Iran

Abstract

Introduction Access to healthcare for persons with disabilities (PWDs) is an important but often ignored issue for achieving universal health coverage. The current study aimed to investigate PWDs’ access to healthcare in the rural areas in north of Iran. Methods Following a descriptive-analytical design, 471 persons with disabilities (PWDs) living in the Nor city, Mazandaran province, were selected using quota sampling. Data were collected by a valid and reliable questionnaire that contained dimensions of time, geography, physical, and acceptability using face-to-face interviews. The findings are provided by central and dispersion indicators and analyses are performed with linear Regression using SPSS version 17. Results PWDs had moderate access to healthcare services in all dimensions. The regression models for access to health services in all four dimensions were significant (p<0.05). The results showed that in the geographical dimension, the variables of marital status, income, receipt of financial aid, supplementary insurance, and type of disability; in the physical dimension, the variables of income, responsibility for taking care of the family, supplementary insurance, and type of disability; in the time dimension, supplementary insurance, home area, and type of disability; and in the aspect of service acceptability, only the variables of type of disability and internet access had a significant effect (p<0.05). Conclusion A small percentage of PWDs had high access to health services. Hence, improving their access to healthcare services, particularly in rural and less developed areas, and developing appropriate policies should be the focus of Iranian policy-makers.