Influence of poverty on the use of health care

Access to health care is undoubtedly a social, economic and political phenomenon and, above all, one of the fundamental human rights (Universal Declaration of Human Rights [1945] (WHO, 2000). Moreover, it is a reality that can be measured by attendance, i.e., use of the health care system.However, in several African countries, cost recovery under the Bamako Initiative has generalized the pricing of medical procedures and the sale of drugs, from basic care to hospital care (SADIO, 1994) (AKIN et al., 2003). As a result, a household affected by the illness of one of its members may find itself permanently impoverished due to the loss of income associated with the illness and the cost of access to care.In Fatick, the rural world plays a predominant role in the socio-economic life of the population. This region is located in the agro-ecological zone of the groundnut basin, which is the most severely affected by the degradation of environmental resources. The village of Toucar is part of the Niakhar study area located in the Fatick district, Fatick region, 145 km southeast of Dakar.