ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the effect of Ghana's structural adjustment program on the health care system. It argues that structural adjustment is producing irreversible changes in Ghana's health care system and new forms of "private" health care have emerged in response to the changing economic climate and context of health care provision. The chapter discusses that decreased use of the formal health system makes it increasingly difficult to determine the disease burden for planning and implementing effective health interventions. Structural adjustment programs produce significant structural changes in the health care delivery system in Sub-Saharan African countries. The political economic context, physical and cultural environment, and prevailing diseases have created the conditions for the emergence and popularity of Itinerant Drug Vendors. While the interviews were by no means random, they provide insights into the decreased quality of care problems attributable to the Structural Adjustment Program.
