Out-of-pocket patient payments and vulnerable population groups in Serbia

The dissertation describes the financial burden provoked by out of pocket patient payments in Serbia. Patients in Serbia pay informally by giving money or gifts to the health care providers. Sometimes they are also asked to bring goods such as food or medicines into the hospital. The results from this dissertation show that all those payments impose a high financial burden for patients, particularly on vulnerable groups such as chronically sick. About 2,3% of the population pays more than 40% of its income on health care. In maternity care, besides the financial burden, we also observe lack of compassion towards women giving birth.