This commentary from the Lancet argues that investment in maternal, newborn and child health remains seriously inadequate, despite its crucial importance not only for saving lives but also for achieving poverty reduction, equity and other human development goals. The authors point out that the most effective package of interventions for reducing mortality in both women and newborns – female education, family planning, community-based maternity care, and referral services for women with obstetric complications – has received little attention from policymakers.
Resource allocation and health financing
Investment in child health 'inadequate'
Determinants of health insurance ownership among South African women
BMC Health Services Research 2005, 5:17
"Studies conducted in developed countries using economic models show that individual- and household- level variables are important determinants of health insurance ownership. There is however a dearth of such studies in sub-Saharan Africa. The objective of this study was to examine the relationship between health insurance ownership and the demographic, economic and educational characteristics of South African women...(It concluded that) Poverty reduction programmes aimed at increasing women's incomes in poor provinces; improving living environment (e.g. potable water supplies, sanitation, electricity and housing) for women in urban informal settlements; enhancing women's access to education; reducing unemployment among women; and increasing effective coverage of family planning services, will empower South African women to reach a higher standard of living and in doing so increase their economic access to health insurance policies and the associated health services."
Fixing health systems in Tanzania
International Development Research Centre (IDRC) , 2004
This book from the International Development and Research Centre presents the Tanzania Essential Health Interventions Project (TEHIP). The premise of this project is that health reforms should be based not just on increased funding but on more strategic investments in health. The first section outlines the TEHIP idea, while the second section details the implementation of TEHIP in two districts in Tanzania. The remaining sections outline the results of the project, current efforts to extend the impact of TEHIP innovations, and the critical lessons learned from the TEHIP experience.
Health in the developing world: achieving the Millennium Development Goals
Bulletin of the World Health Organization (BLT), Volume 82, Number 12, December 2004, 891-970
"The Millennium Development Goals depend critically on scaling up public health investments in developing countries. As a matter of urgency, developing-country governments must present detailed investment plans that are sufficiently ambitious to meet the goals, and the plans must be inserted into existing donor processes. Donor countries must keep the promises they have often reiterated of increased assistance, which they can easily afford, to help improve health in the developing countries and ensure stability for the whole world."
Malaria and the cost effectiveness of intervention
Attempts to quantify the epidemiologic and economic burden of malaria have so far neglected to specifically address the burden of epidemic malaria. Moreover, the data on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of interventions in epidemics is extremely limited. Using the limited data available, we estimate that in Africa, there are more than 12 million malaria episodes and 155,000–310,000 malaria deaths per year. The possible economic impact of malaria epidemics is described in this paper and the limited evidence on the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of interventions in areas of low or seasonal transmission is reviewed.
Between the dream and the reality: social health insurance in South Africa
How can developing countries implement health systems that are both equitable and sustainable? Is social health insurance (SHI) a valid healthcare finance mechanism for these countries? This article examines the lessons that can be drawn from the South African experience of adapting and implementing SHI.
Greater commitment, more funding urged for HIV/AIDS treatment
Despite a broad commitment to combating the spread of HIV/AIDS on the continent, African governments spend far too little of their own funds on intervention programmes, a new study has found. A review of national budgets included in 'Funding the Fight: Budgeting for HIV/AIDS in Developing Countries' showed that while many had developed strategic plans to tackle the virus, these were "poorly costed and budgeted". Sub-Saharan Africa remains by far the region worst affected by the AIDS epidemic - it has just over 10 percent of the world's population, but is home to two-thirds of all people living with HIV, according to UNAIDS.
Health financing to promote access in low income settings
"In this article we outline research since 1995 on the impact of various financing strategies on access to health services or health outcomes in low income countries. The limited evidence available suggests, in general, that user fees deterred utilisation. Prepayment or insurance schemes offered potential for improving access, but are very limited in scope. Conditional cash payments showed promise for improving uptake of interventions, but could also create a perverse incentive. The largely African origin of the reports of user fees, and the evidence from Latin America on conditional cash transfers, demonstrate the importance of the context in which studies are done."
Earmarked donor funding and resource allocation
It should not be assumed that earmarked donor funding automatically increases the allocation of developing-country resources towards programmes that yield the greatest health benefits. Sometimes it does, sometimes it does not - how the funding is designed can influence this. This is true particularly in the longer term, once the earmarked funding has ended. This is according to an article in Volume 82, Number 9, of the Bulletin of the World Health Organization.
Resource tracking estimates for HIV/AIDS expenditure in low- and middle-income countries
This UNAIDS report summarises the most recent data available on spending from all sources of AIDS programmes in low- and middle-income countries. Its purpose is to identify the magnitude of global resources available relative to the estimated resource needs. The report also reviews and compares the methodological approaches used to track HIV/AIDS expenditure at global and national levels, and identify gaps in HIV/AIDS financial information and present ways they can be addressed.