Calculation of Costs of Pregnancy- and Puerperium-Related Care: Experience from a Hospital in a Low-Income Country (Report‪)‬

INTRODUCTION The financing of health systems are a key determinant of health and well-being of population (1). Due to poor allocation of resources within the public sector in many low-income countries, healthcare financing heavily relies on out-of-pocket expenditure by patients. At the same time, healthcare expenditure is increasing in most countries across the world. This increased healthcare expenditure and the heavy out-of-pocket payment limit people in seeking healthcare or in continuing their treatment. In many low-income countries, poor people often fail to avail of necessary healthcare services due to financial constraints (2) and often face catastrophic financial burden to meet their healthcare expenditure (3,4). Universal coverage through sustainable methods of health system financing is a core interest of many health research organizations, including the World Health Organization (5).