Economic and Welfare Effects of the Abolition of Health User Fees


Book Description

Deininger and Mpuga use household level data for Uganda for 1999-2000 and 2002-03, before and after the abolition of user fees for public health services, to explore the effect of this policy on different groups' ability to access health services and morbidity outcomes. They find that the policy change improved access and reduced the probability of sickness in a way that was particularly beneficial to the poor. Although the challenge of maintaining service quality remains, aggregate benefits are estimated to be significantly larger than the estimated shortfalls from the abolition of user fees.This paper - a product of Rural Development, Development Research Group - is part of a larger effort in the group to assess the impact of public services provision on household welfare.




The Oxford Handbook of Health Economics


Book Description

The Oxford Handbook of Health Economics provides an accessible and authoritative guide to health economics, intended for scholars and students in the field, as well as those in adjacent disciplines including health policy and clinical medicine. The chapters stress the direct impact of health economics reasoning on policy and practice, offering readers an introduction to the potential reach of the discipline. Contributions come from internationally-recognized leaders in health economics and reflect the worldwide reach of the discipline. Authoritative, but non-technical, the chapters place great emphasis on the connections between theory and policy-making, and develop the contributions of health economics to problems arising in a variety of institutional contexts, from primary care to the operations of health insurers. The volume addresses policy concerns relevant to health systems in both developed and developing countries. It takes a broad perspective, with relevance to systems with single or multi-payer health insurance arrangements, and to those relying predominantly on user charges; contributions are also included that focus both on medical care and on non-medical factors that affect health. Each chapter provides a succinct summary of the current state of economic thinking in a given area, as well as the author's unique perspective on issues that remain open to debate. The volume presents a view of health economics as a vibrant and continually advancing field, highlighting ongoing challenges and pointing to new directions for further progress.




Financing Health Services in Developing Countries


Book Description

This report discusses several different approaches that support reforming health care services in developing countries. For some time now, health care services have been supported by government funds. As demands for improving health care services continue to increase additional demands will be placed on governments to respond. This, however, will not be easy. Slow economic growth and record budget deficits in the 1980's have forced reductions in public spending. Alternative approaches to finance health care services are needed. Such possible changes could involve: decentralization of federal government involvement; the promotion of nongovernment involvement; the imposition of user fees; and, establishing health insurance. Finally, the role of the Bank in pursuing new financing strategies is discussed.




The World Bank Research Program, 2005-2007


Book Description

This pocket-sized reference on key environmental data for over 200 countries includes key indicators on agriculture, forestry, biodiversity, energy, emission and pollution, and water and sanitation. The volume helps establish a sound base of information to help set priorities and measure progress toward environmental sustainability goals.




Health Economics


Book Description

This third edition of Barbara McPake and Charles Normand’s textbook confirms it as providing the only properly international treatment of health economics on the market. A key tenet of the book is its analysis of comparative health systems across borders, and the text has been updated and revised to take account of changes in a host of countries. Barack Obama’s reforms in the United States are considered alongside the provision of healthcare in China, providing a unique overview of these different approaches. The introduction of performance related payment in various forms is appraised, with the experience of developing countries such as Cambodia, Rwanda and Uganda important in this regard. An overview of the range of mathematical techniques available to perform economic evaluation in healthcare is also introduced, although the text avoids becoming too technical. In all, the text builds on the success of the first edition and provides the perfect introduction to the fast changing world of health economics.




Attacking Africa's Poverty


Book Description

By all measures, poverty in Africa as a whole has increased and deepened. But in fact, Africa contains a number of undocumented success stories of poverty reduction. This book presents case studies of thirteen of these success stories, giving grounds for some real hope, and providing useful learning for all ? policymakers, governments, businesses, service providers, NGOs, and donors.




Gender Equitable and Transformative Social Policies for Post COVID-19 Africa


Book Description

This book is the outcome of a detailed research study to examine the trajectories, processes and outcomes of education, health, employment, water, sanitation and hygiene social policies in Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda, and to propose gender-equitable and transformative post COVID-19 social policy in these sectors. Though there is progress in varying degrees in these countries to attaining gender equity, there are still significant gender gaps in many areas. As well as examining the current situation, the study also plots progress longitudinally in 20-year periods from 1940 to the present day, and comparatively amongst the four featured countries. It provides both a rare and valuable historical study, as well as an up-to-date working policy framework. The research derives from the GETSPA (Gender Equitable and Transformative Social Policy for Post COVID-19 Africa) project, coordinated by the Institute of African Studies, University of Ghana and conducted across the wider African continent. The book is a valuable resource for policy-makers at national and pan-national level, NGOs, and African Studies researchers. The study closely tracks the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), most particularly SDG 5 on Gender Equality, but also those dealing with Education, Employment, Health, and Water, Hygiene and Sanitation.




UN Millennium Development Library: Investing in Development


Book Description

The Millennium Development Goals, adopted at the UN Millennium Summit in 2000, are the world's targets for dramatically reducing extreme poverty in its many dimensions by 2015 income poverty, hunger, disease, exclusion, lack of infrastructure and shelter while promoting gender equality, education, health and environmental sustainability. These bold goals can be met in all parts of the world if nations follow through on their commitments to work together to meet them. Achieving the Millennium Development Goals offers the prospect of a more secure, just, and prosperous world for all. The UN Millennium Project was commissioned by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan to develop a practical plan of action to meet the Millennium Development Goals. As an independent advisory body directed by Professor Jeffrey D. Sachs, the UN Millennium Project submitted its recommendations to the UN Secretary General in January 2005. The core of the UN Millennium Project's work has been carried out by 10 thematic Task Forces comprising more than 250 experts from around the world, including scientists, development practitioners, parliamentarians, policymakers, and representatives from civil society, UN agencies, the World Bank, the IMF, and the private sector. Investing in Development: A Practical Plan to Achieve the Millennium Development Goals brings together the core recommendations of the UN Millennium Project. By outlining practical strategies and approaches to financing the,, the report presents an operational framework that will allow even the poorest countries to achieve the Millennium Development Goals by 2015.




Punishing the Poor? A Look at Evidence and Action Regarding User Fees in Health Care


Book Description

“There’s now just overwhelming evidence that those user fees actually worsened health outcomes. There’s no question about it. So did the bank get it wrong before? Yeah. I think the bank was ideological” - Dr Jim Yong Kim, World Bank Head. (2014) User fees for health care were put forward as a way to recover costs and discourage the excessive use of health services and the over- consumption of care. This did not happen. Instead, user fees punished the poor. -Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General, WHO. (2009) The history of user fees imposed on the poor is a history of the poor being excluded from basic services. – Jeffrey Sachs, Director, Earth Institute, End of Poverty (2005) Pricing helps reduce excessive or unwarranted demand for a service and brings supply capacity more in line with willingness and ability to pay. Put differently, when a service costs money, people will think twice about demanding it. - World Bank, Financing health care in sub-Saharan Africa through user fees and insurance. (1995)