Microcredit Expansion in Nairobi Slums: A Meta-Analysis on Healthcare Access Barriers and Solutions

Microcredit programmes have been implemented in various urban slums around the world to address financial barriers to healthcare access. Nairobi, with its significant population of urban slum residents, has seen such initiatives aimed at improving health outcomes. Studies were identified through systematic searches using databases relevant to public health, economics, and social sciences. Included studies compared pre- and post-microcredit implementation periods, with data analysed using meta-regression models. Microcredit expansion showed a statistically significant 25% improvement in healthcare utilization among urban slum residents (p < 0.01), though this varied by socioeconomic status within the communities studied. The implementation of microcredit programmes appears to have positively influenced access to healthcare, particularly for lower-income households. Further studies should explore the long-term effects and broader impacts of microcredit on healthcare in urban slums. Microcredit, Nairobi Slums, Healthcare Access, Meta-Analysis Treatment effect was estimated with $\text{logit}(p_i)=\beta_0+\beta^\top X_i$, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.