Health service access for rural people living with HIV/AIDS in China: A critical evaluation

Abstract

The increasingly serious HIV/AIDS epidemic creates a significant burden for the public health system; however, little attention has been paid to the issue of health service access in rural China. Based on a qualitative study of 34 Chinese rural People Living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA) and 13 health providers, this study fills a gap by examining health service access from both the demand and supply-side. Utilizing access theory, this study explores the availability, affordability and acceptability of health services in rural China. Moreover, this study focuses on access barriers and institutional obstacles that PLWHA meet during their illness and considers the influence of the current Chinese political philosophy of marketization and privatization of the health care systems. © Journal of Sociology and Social Welfare, 2011.