Determinants of the Use of Medical Insurance Cover in Zimbabwe 

Many developing countries have health systems afflicted by inequitable access, inadequate funding, inefficiency and poor quality services. The study investigated the factors that influence the demand for medical aid in Zimbabwe. Data from Finscope Survey 2014 was used to estimate probit models and linear probability models for robustness check. Using these data, the demand factors that influence an individual's decision to get medical aid or not in Zimbabwe was analysed. The study found that the factors that affect the demand for medical aid include education, health facilities, current employment, income, financial advice, age, gender and location. Marital status, health status and employment history were found to be insignificant. The role of financial advice cannot be underestimated in Zimbabwe. An initiative by the responsible advisory boards and authorities is important to improve medical aid scheme demand in the country. There is also a need to consider determinants of other related policies or schemes so that suppliers can do a collective bargain of related products.