Key among these concerns was the need to use both human and financial resources that are locally available in the community, to address supply side barriers that influence access to maternal and child healthcare.
If cash transfers are delivered along with interventions on nutrition education, behaviour communication, and supply side interventions that improve access and quality of health services there are greater chances to achieve impacts on child nutrition.
This paper estimates the incremental costs of a demand and supply side intervention aimed at increasing access to maternal health care services.
Other strategies to tackle financial barriers to facility delivery include demand-side health financing mechanisms such as vouchers or conditional cash transfer programs that cover user fees and related access costs, or supply side financing such as performance-based contracting and delivery incentive schemes [ 37- 40].
These perceived access-related gaps, especially supply side deficiencies in availability of medical products, equipment and facilities, are also frequently reported by studies within other SSA settings [ 50, 51].
Improving Internet access and affordability, on the other hand, are "supply side" initiatives.
Some interventions were not adequately accessed, e.g. cataract lens replacement due to supply side constraints.
9, 11 A point of consistency across these various theories and framework is the notion that access to health care is multi-dimensional and requires interplay of demand and supply side factors.
Meanwhile, low levels of public health financing, supply side gaps, an acute shortage of human resources and the rising cost of healthcare continue to severely affect access, affordability and quality of health services across the country.
"Blaming speculation is an easy solution which avoids taking the necessary steps to improve supply-side access and investment or to implement measures to improve energy efficiency," the report said.
