ABSTRACT
Chapter 6, “Is there a doctor in the house?”, explores the world of what some have termed private or informal healthcare providers. We believe these doctors are examples of medical entrepreneurship. The basic concept in Kirzner's theory of entrepreneurship is alertness. Private healthcare providers are satisfying the wants of our communities. Due to inequalities in health care access, private medical services have sprung up within neighbourhoods to cater for individuals unable to access or ignored when attending a government healthcare facility. There are three parts to this chapter. First, to consider the supply side, we set out the findings from our census and survey in each of our three neighbourhoods. Second, focusing on demand, we listen to medical providers’ voices to explore the extent and type of medical conditions treated regularly within the communities. Third, utilising the methodological tool developed by Das and Hammer, we conduct an experiment to explore quality and competence. Each part starts with quotes from the private healthcare provider interviews, followed by some of the findings already documented in the literature and then our own findings from our three settlements.
