Subhash Pokhrel

The effect of community-based health insurance on the utilization of modern health care services: evidence from Burkina Faso.

OBJECTIVE To quantify the impact of community-based health insurance (CBI) on utilization of health care services in rural Burkina Faso. METHODS Propensity score matching was used to minimise the observed baseline differences in the characteristics of insured and uninsured groups such that the observed difference in healthcare utilisation could generally be attributed to the CBI. RESULTS Compared with those who were not enrolled in the CBI, the overall increase in outpatient visits given illness in the insured group was about 40% higher, while the differential effect on utilization of inpatient care between insured and non-insured groups was insignificant. Not only were the very poor less likely to enroll in CBI, but even once insured, they were less likely to utilize health services compared to their wealthier counterparts. CONCLUSIONS The overall effect of CBI on health care utilization is significant and positive but the benefit of CBI is not equally enjoyed by all socioeconomic groups. The policy implications are: (a) there is a need to subsidize the premium to favor the enrolment of the very poor; and (b) various measures need to be placed in order to maximize the populations capacity to enjoy the benefits of insurance once insured.

Health-care interventions to promote and assist tobacco cessation: A review of efficacy, effectiveness and affordability for use in national guideline development

Abstract Aims This paper provides a concise review of the efficacy, effectiveness and affordability of health‐care interventions to promote and assist tobacco cessation, in order to inform national guideline development and assist countries in planning their provision of tobacco cessation support. Methods Cochrane reviews of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of major health‐care tobacco cessation interventions were used to derive efficacy estimates in terms of percentage‐point increases relative to comparison conditions in 6–12‐month continuous abstinence rates. This was combined with analysis and evidence from ‘real world’ studies to form a judgement on the probable effectiveness of each intervention in different settings. The affordability of each intervention was assessed for exemplar countries in each World Bank income category (low, lower middle, upper middle, high). Based on World Health Organization (WHO) criteria, an intervention was judged as affordable for a given income category if the estimated extra cost of saving a life‐year was less than or equal to the per‐capita gross domestic product for that category of country. Results Brief advice from a health‐care worker given opportunistically to smokers attending health‐care services can promote smoking cessation, and is affordable for countries in all World Bank income categories (i.e. globally). Proactive telephone support, automated text messaging programmes and printed self‐help materials can assist smokers wanting help with a quit attempt and are affordable globally. Multi‐session, face‐to‐face behavioural support can increase quit success for cigarettes and smokeless tobacco and is affordable in middle‐ and high‐income countries. Nicotine replacement therapy, bupropion, nortriptyline, varenicline and cytisine can all aid quitting smoking when given with at least some behavioural support; of these, cytisine and nortriptyline are affordable globally. Conclusions Brief advice from a health‐care worker, telephone helplines, automated text messaging, printed self‐help materials, cytisine and nortriptyline are globally affordable health‐care interventions to promote and assist smoking cessation. Evidence on smokeless tobacco cessation suggests that face‐to‐face behavioural support and varenicline can promote cessation.

Step-wedge cluster-randomised community-based trials: An application to the study of the impact of community health insurance

BackgroundWe describe a step-wedge cluster-randomised community-based trial which has been conducted since 2003 to accompany the implementation of a community health insurance (CHI) scheme in West Africa. The trial aims at overcoming the paucity of evidence-based information on the impact of CHI. Impact is defined in terms of changes in health service utilisation and household protection against the cost of illness. Our exclusive focus on the description and discussion of the methods is justified by the fact that the study relies on a methodology previously applied in the field of disease control, but never in the field of health financing.MethodsFirst, we clarify how clusters were defined both in respect of statistical considerations and of local geographical and socio-cultural concerns. Second, we illustrate how households within clusters were sampled. Third, we expound the data collection process and the survey instruments. Finally, we outline the statistical tools to be applied to estimate the impact of CHI.ConclusionWe discuss all design choices both in relation to methodological considerations and to specific ethical and organisational concerns faced in the field. On the basis of the appraisal of our experience, we postulate that conducting relatively sophisticated trials (such as our step-wedge cluster-randomised community-based trial) aimed at generating sound public health evidence, is both feasible and valuable also in low income settings. Our work shows that if accurately designed in conjunction with local health authorities, such trials have the potential to generate sound scientific evidence and do not hinder, but at times even facilitate, the implementation of complex health interventions such as CHI.

Willingness to pay for cataract surgery in Kathmandu valley

Aim: A cross sectional study was carried out on 78 screened cataract patients of two screening camps in Kathmandu valley, Nepal, to assess the willingness to pay for cataract surgery. Methods: A non-probability sampling technique with open ended and close ended questionnaires was used. Results: The average age of patients was 68.8 years. The ratio of men and women was 0.9:1. 42.3% (33) of patients were willing to pay for cataract surgery. Among them 48.5% (16) of people were willing to pay less than

Potential economic impacts from improving breastfeeding rates in the UK

13 and 51.5% (17) were willing to pay more than

The differences in characteristics between health-care users and non-users: implication for introducing community-based health insurance in Burkina Faso

13. The mean was

Determinants of household health expenditure on western institutional health care

2.3 (SD

Health systems performance in sub-Saharan Africa: governance, outcome and equity

15.5) per case. Patients with bilateral cataract were more willing to pay than unilateral cases. Poverty (44.4%, 20) was the main barrier for unwillingness to pay for cataract surgery. Other reasons were the lack of family support (28.9%, 13), lack of knowledge of surgery and belief that it was an unnecessary procedure (15.6%, seven), and waiting for a free surgical service (11.1%, five). Conclusion: This study clearly indicates that although there was awareness of the availability of treatment and services provided within the reach, people are not willing to pay for the surgery and use the facility primarily because of poverty. Hence, to change patients’ attitudes, a more holistic approach is needed, keeping in view the cultural, social, and economic background of the society.

Modelling the effectiveness of financing policies to address underutilization of children's health services in Nepal

Rationale Studies suggest that increased breastfeeding rates can provide substantial financial savings, but the scale of such savings in the UK is not known. Objective To calculate potential cost savings attributable to increases in breastfeeding rates from the National Health Service perspective. Design and settings Cost savings focussed on where evidence of health benefit is strongest: reductions in gastrointestinal and lower respiratory tract infections, acute otitis media in infants, necrotising enterocolitis in preterm babies and breast cancer (BC) in women. Savings were estimated using a seven-step framework in which an incidence-based disease model determined the number of cases that could have been avoided if breastfeeding rates were increased. Point estimates of cost savings were subject to a deterministic sensitivity analysis. Results Treating the four acute diseases in children costs the UK at least £89 million annually. The 2009–2010 value of lifetime costs of treating maternal BC is estimated at £959 million. Supporting mothers who are exclusively breast feeding at 1 week to continue breast feeding until 4 months can be expected to reduce the incidence of three childhood infectious diseases and save at least £11 million annually. Doubling the proportion of mothers currently breast feeding for 7–18 months in their lifetime is likely to reduce the incidence of maternal BC and save at least £31 million at 2009–2010 value. Conclusions The economic impact of low breastfeeding rates is substantial. Investing in services that support women who want to breast feed for longer is potentially cost saving.

The fallacy of the equity-efficiency trade off: rethinking the efficient health system

The purposes of this study are to describe the characteristics of different health-care users, to explain such characteristics using a health demand model and to estimate the price-related probability change for different types of health care in order to provide policy guidance for the introduction of community-based health insurance (CBI) in Burkina Faso. Data were collected from a household survey using a two stage cluster sampling approach. Household interviews were carried out during April and May 2003. In the interviewed 7,939 individuals in 988 households, there were 558 people reported one or more illness episodes; two-thirds of these people did not seek professional care. Health care non-users display lower household income and expenditure, older age and lower perceived severity of disease. The main reason for choosing no-care and self-care was ‘not enough money’. Multinomial logistic regression confirms these observations. Higher household cash-income, higher perceived severity of disease and acute disease significantly increased the probability of using western care. Older age and higher price-cash income ratio significantly increased the probability of no-care or self-care. If CBI were introduced the probability of using western care would increase by 4.33% and the probability of using self-care would reduce by 3.98%. The price-related probability change of using western care for lower income people is higher than for higher income although the quantity changed is relatively small. In conclusion, the introduction of CBI might increase the use of medical services, especially for the poor. Co-payment for the rich might be necessary. Premium adjusted for income or subsidies for the poor can be considered in order to absorb a greater number of poor households into CBI and further improve equity in terms of enrolment. However, the role of CBI in Burkina Faso is rather limited: it might only increase utilisation of western health care by a probability of 4%.