“The paper reviews a unified model of demand for health care inputs and health production and shows how the model can be applied to design and implement policies to improve reproductive health of the population. Although the focus of the applications is sub-Saharan Africa, the illustrative examples presented are of general interest.
The key feature of the model is the link between demand for reproductive health services and the production of health by households and individuals. This paper contributes to the existing literature by explicitly linking health care consumption to health production with a focus on reproductive health in low- income countries. Like general health, reproductive health is the complete well-being of persons at particular life cycles, and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity among such individuals. Examples of such individuals include men and women of reproductive age, infants, and children. The bulk of reproductive health services in all countries are typically targeted to pregnant women, newborns, and children.”
