Mutuelles de santé à Bukavu en République Démocratique du Congo: facteurs favorables à l’utilisation des services de santé par des adhérents

Introduction This study highlights the determinants of the use of health services by adherents to the three mutual health insurances in the town of Bukavu in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Methods We conducted a descriptive cross-sectional study, based on a perception survey among users of healthcare services affiliated to the mutual health insurances in the Bukavu health zones. The encoding and statistical analysis were carried out using the Epi INFO version 2010 software. Results The main determinants of the use of healthcare services by adherents to the mutual health insurances are: the member's place of residence, the level of education of the head of household, the previous experience of care in the healthcare structure partner of the mutual health insurances, the reputation of the structure partner of the mutual health insurances and the ability of households to pay the user fee. Conclusion This study highlights that, beyond the financial barrier, the implementation of a mutual health organisation should promote a better regulation of the user fee and a good quality of care to meet the care needs of members. The factors emerging from the study as a major determinant of the use of health services by adherents to a mutual health insurance are often not taken into account in the implementation of mutual health insurance in contexts similar to those of Bukavu.