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Shaukat M, Imping A, Rogge L, Khalid F, Ullah S, Ahmad F, Kibria Z, Landmann A, Khan Z, De Allegri M. Un/met: a mixed-methods study on primary healthcare needs of the poorest population in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. Int J Equity Health 2024; 23:190. [PMID: 39313795 PMCID: PMC11421121 DOI: 10.1186/s12939-024-02274-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2024] [Accepted: 09/13/2024] [Indexed: 09/25/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Access of all people to the healthcare they need, without financial hardship is the goal of Universal Health Coverage (UHC). As UHC initiatives expand, assessing the needs of vulnerable populations can reveal gaps in the system which may be covered by relevant policies. In this study we (i) identify the met and unmet primary healthcare needs of the poorest population of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province (KP), Pakistan, and (ii) explore why the gaps exist. METHODS We used Leveque's Framework of Patient-centred Access to Healthcare to examine unmet primary healthcare (PHC) needs and their underlying causes for the poorest population in four districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, Pakistan. Using a triangulation mixed methods design, we analysed data from a quantitative household survey of744 households, 17 focus group discussions with household members and, 11 interviews with healthcare providers. RESULTS Our results show that indicate that despite service utilization, PHC needs were not met, primarily due to prohibitively high costs at each stage of access. Furthermore, gaps in outreach and information (approachability), and varying availability of medicines and diagnostics at facilities (appropriateness) the supply side as well as difficulties in navigating the system (inability to perceive) and adhering to prescriptions (inability to engage) on the demand side, also led to unmet PHC needs. Going beyond utilization, our findings highlight that engagement with care is an important determinant of met needs for vulnerable populations. CONCLUSION Social health protection policies can contribute to advancing UHC for primary care. However, in our setting, enhancing communication and outreach, addressing gender and age disparities, and improving quality of care and health infrastructure are necessary to fully meet the needs of the poorest populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maira Shaukat
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Medical Faculty and University Hospital, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Alina Imping
- Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Lisa Rogge
- Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Fatima Khalid
- Institute of Public Health & Social Sciences, Khyber Medical University, Peshawar, Pakistan
| | - Safat Ullah
- Office of Research, Innovation, and Commercialization (ORIC), Khyber Medical University, Peshawar, Pakistan
| | - Fayaz Ahmad
- Institute of Public Health & Social Sciences, Khyber Medical University, Peshawar, Pakistan
| | - Zeeshan Kibria
- Office of Research, Innovation, and Commercialization (ORIC), Khyber Medical University, Peshawar, Pakistan
| | - Andreas Landmann
- Friedrich-Alexander University of Erlangen-Nürnberg, Erlangen, Germany
| | - Zohaib Khan
- Office of Research, Innovation, and Commercialization (ORIC), Khyber Medical University, Peshawar, Pakistan
| | - Manuela De Allegri
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Medical Faculty and University Hospital, Heidelberg University, Heidelberg, Germany
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Bou-Karroum L, Iaia DG, El-Jardali F, Abou Samra C, Salameh S, Sleem Z, Masri R, Harb A, Hemadi N, Hilal N, Hneiny L, Nassour S, Shah MG, Langlois EV. Financing for equity for women's, children's and adolescents' health in low- and middle-income countries: A scoping review. PLOS GLOBAL PUBLIC HEALTH 2024; 4:e0003573. [PMID: 39264949 PMCID: PMC11392393 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pgph.0003573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2023] [Accepted: 07/15/2024] [Indexed: 09/14/2024]
Abstract
Over the past few decades, the world has witnessed considerable progress in women's, children's and adolescents' health (WCAH) and the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). Yet deep inequities remain between and within countries. This scoping review aims to map financing interventions and measures to improve equity in WCAH in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). This scoping review was conducted following Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) guidance for conducting such reviews as well as the PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) for reporting scoping reviews. We searched Medline, PubMed, EMBASE and the World Health Organization's (WHO) Global Index Medicus, and relevant websites. The selection process was conducted in duplicate and independently. Out of 26 355 citations identified from electronic databases, relevant website searches and stakeholders' consultations, 413 studies were included in the final review. Conditional cash transfers (CCTs) (22.3%), health insurance (21.4%), user fee exemptions (18.1%) and vouchers (16.9%) were the most reported financial interventions and measures. The majority were targeted at women (57%) and children (21%) with others targeting adolescents (2.7%) and newborns (0.7%). The findings highlighted that CCTs, voucher programs and various insurance schemes can improve the utilization of maternal and child health services for the poor and the disadvantaged, and improve mortality and morbidity rates. However, multiple implementation challenges impact the effectiveness of these programmes. Some studies suggested that financial interventions alone would not be sufficient to achieve equity in health coverage among those of a lower income and those residing in remote regions. This review provides evidence on financing interventions to address the health needs of the most vulnerable communities. It can be used to inform the design of equitable health financing policies and health system reform efforts that are essential to moving towards universal health coverage (UHC). By also unveiling the knowledge gaps, it can be used to inform future research on financing interventions and measures to improve equity when addressing WCAH in LMICs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lama Bou-Karroum
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Health Management and Policy, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
- Knowledge to Policy (K2P) Center, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Domenico G Iaia
- Partnership for Maternal Newborn and Child Health, World Health Organisation, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Fadi El-Jardali
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Health Management and Policy, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
- Knowledge to Policy (K2P) Center, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
- Department of Health Research Methods, Evidence and Impact (HEI), McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada
| | - Clara Abou Samra
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Health Management and Policy, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
- Knowledge to Policy (K2P) Center, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Sabine Salameh
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Health Management and Policy, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
- Knowledge to Policy (K2P) Center, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Zeina Sleem
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Health Management and Policy, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
- Knowledge to Policy (K2P) Center, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Reem Masri
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Health Management and Policy, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
- Knowledge to Policy (K2P) Center, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Aya Harb
- Knowledge to Policy (K2P) Center, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Nour Hemadi
- Knowledge to Policy (K2P) Center, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Nadeen Hilal
- Department of Internal Medicine, Ain Wazein Medical Village, Ain Wazein, Lebanon
| | - Layal Hneiny
- Saab Medical Library, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Sahar Nassour
- Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Health Management and Policy, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
- Knowledge to Policy (K2P) Center, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon
| | - Mehr Gul Shah
- Partnership for Maternal Newborn and Child Health, World Health Organisation, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Etienne V Langlois
- Partnership for Maternal Newborn and Child Health, World Health Organisation, Geneva, Switzerland
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Hailemichael Y, Novignon J, Owusu L, Okyere D, Mtuy T, Alemu AY, Ocloo EK, Koka E, Palmer J, Walker SL, Gadisa E, Kaba M, Pitt C. The role of economic factors in shaping and constituting the household burden of neglected tropical diseases of the skin: Qualitative findings from Ghana and Ethiopia. Soc Sci Med 2024; 356:117094. [PMID: 39032192 PMCID: PMC11370647 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2024.117094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/30/2023] [Revised: 04/09/2024] [Accepted: 07/03/2024] [Indexed: 07/22/2024]
Abstract
Tracers of health system equity, neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) disproportionately affect marginalized populations. NTDs that manifest on the skin - "skin NTDs" - are associated with scarring, disfigurement, physical disability, social exclusion, psychological distress, and economic hardship. To support development and evaluation of appropriate intervention strategies, we aimed to improve understanding of the role of economic factors in shaping and constituting the burden that skin NTDs place on households. We collected data in 2021 in two predominantly rural districts: Atwima Mponua in Ghana (where Buruli ulcer, yaws, and leprosy are endemic) and Kalu in Ethiopia (where cutaneous leishmaniasis and leprosy are endemic). We conducted interviews (n = 50) and focus group discussions (n = 14) that explored economic themes with affected individuals, caregivers, and community members and analysed the data thematically using a pre-defined framework. We found remarkable commonalities across countries and diseases. We developed a conceptual framework which illustrates skin NTDs' negative economic impact, including financial costs of care-seeking and reductions in work and schooling; categorises coping strategies by their degree of risk-pooling; and clarifies the mechanisms through which skin NTDs disproportionately affect the poorest. Despite health insurance schemes in both countries, wide-ranging, often harmful coping strategies were reported. Traditional healers were often described as more accessible, affordable and offering more flexible payment terms than formal health services, except for Ethiopia's well-established leprosy programme. Our findings are important in informing strategies to mitigate the skin NTD burden and identifying key drivers of household costs to measure in future evaluations. To reduce skin NTDs' impact on households' physical, mental, and economic wellbeing, intervention strategies should address economic constraints to prompt and effective care-seeking. While financial support and incentives for referrals and promotion of insurance enrolment may mitigate some constraints, structural interventions that decentralise care may offer more equitable and sustainable access to skin NTD care.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jacob Novignon
- Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana; Department of Economics, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
| | - Lucy Owusu
- Kumasi Centre for Collaborative Research, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science & Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
| | - Daniel Okyere
- Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana
| | - Tara Mtuy
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Abebaw Yeshambel Alemu
- Armauer Hansen Research Institute, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia; Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, Institute of Public Health, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, University of Gondar, Gondar, Ethiopia
| | - Edmond Kwaku Ocloo
- Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, University of Ghana, Accra, Ghana; Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana
| | - Eric Koka
- Department of Sociology and Anthropology, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana
| | - Jennifer Palmer
- Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | - Stephen L Walker
- Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
| | | | - Mirgissa Kaba
- School of Public Health, Addis Ababa University, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia
| | - Catherine Pitt
- Faculty of Public Health and Policy, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, United Kingdom
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Gideon J, Asthana S, Bisht R. Health systems in India: analysing barriers to inclusive health leadership through a gender lens. BMJ 2024; 386:e078351. [PMID: 39019544 PMCID: PMC11249731 DOI: 10.1136/bmj-2023-078351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 07/19/2024]
Affiliation(s)
- Jasmine Gideon
- Birkbeck, University of London, London, UK
- Global Health 5050, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sumegha Asthana
- Centre for Global Health Science and Security, Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA
| | - Ramila Bisht
- Centre for Social Medicine and Community Health, Jawaharlal Nehru University, New Delhi, India
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Hone T, Gonçalves J, Seferidi P, Moreno-Serra R, Rocha R, Gupta I, Bhardwaj V, Hidayat T, Cai C, Suhrcke M, Millett C. Progress towards universal health coverage and inequalities in infant mortality: an analysis of 4·1 million births from 60 low-income and middle-income countries between 2000 and 2019. Lancet Glob Health 2024; 12:e744-e755. [PMID: 38614628 DOI: 10.1016/s2214-109x(24)00040-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 01/14/2024] [Accepted: 01/19/2024] [Indexed: 04/15/2024]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Expanding universal health coverage (UHC) might not be inherently beneficial to poorer populations without the explicit targeting and prioritising of low-income populations. This study examines whether the expansion of UHC between 2000 and 2019 is associated with reduced socioeconomic inequalities in infant mortality in low-income and middle-income countries (LMICs). METHODS We did a retrospective analysis of birth data compiled from Demographic and Health Surveys (DHSs). We analysed all births between 2000 and 2019 from all DHSs available for this period. The primary outcome was infant mortality, defined as death within 1 year of birth. Logistic regression models with country and year fixed effects assessed associations between country-level progress to UHC (using WHO's UHC service coverage index) and infant mortality (overall and by wealth quintile), adjusting for infant-level, mother-level, and country-level variables. FINDINGS A total of 4 065 868 births to 1 833 011 mothers were analysed from 177 DHSs covering 60 LMICs between 2000 and 2019. A one unit increase in the UHC index was associated with a 1·2% reduction in the risk of infant death (AOR 0·988, 95% CI 0·981-0·995; absolute measure of association, 0·57 deaths per 1000 livebirths). An estimated 15·5 million infant deaths were averted between 2000 and 2019 because of increases in UHC. However, richer wealth quintiles had larger associated reductions in infant mortality from UHC (quintile 5 AOR 0·983, 95% CI 0·973-0·993) than poorer quintiles (quintile 1 0·991, 0·985-0·998). In the early stages of UHC, UHC expansion was generally beneficial to poorer populations (ie, larger reductions in infant mortality for poorer households [infant deaths per 1000 per one unit increase in UHC coverage: quintile 1 0·84 vs quintile 5 0·59]), but became less so as overall coverage increased (quintile 1 0·64 vs quintile 5 0·57). INTERPRETATION Since UHC expansion in LMICs appears to become less beneficial to poorer populations as coverage increases, UHC policies should be explicitly designed to ensure lower income groups continue to benefit as coverage expands. FUNDING UK National Institute for Health and Care Research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Hone
- Public Health Policy Evaluation Unit, Imperial College London, London, UK; Instituto de Estudos para Políticas de Saúde, São Paulo, Brazil.
| | - Judite Gonçalves
- Public Health Policy Evaluation Unit, Imperial College London, London, UK; NOVA National School of Public Health, Public Health Research Centre, Comprehensive Health Research Center, NOVA University Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Paraskevi Seferidi
- Public Health Policy Evaluation Unit, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | | | - Rudi Rocha
- Instituto de Estudos para Políticas de Saúde, São Paulo, Brazil; São Paulo School of Business Administration, Fundação Getulio Vargas, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Indrani Gupta
- Institute of Economic Growth, University of Delhi, Delhi, India
| | - Vinayak Bhardwaj
- South African Medical Research Council and Wits Centre for Health Economics and Decision Science, PRICELESS South Africa, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Public Health, University of Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Taufik Hidayat
- Center for Health Economics and Policy Studies, Faculty of Public Health, Universitas Indonesia, Depok, Indonesia; Department of Economics, University of Sussex, Brighton, UK
| | - Chang Cai
- Public Health Policy Evaluation Unit, Imperial College London, London, UK
| | - Marc Suhrcke
- Centre for Health Economics, University of York, Heslington, York, UK; Luxembourg Institute of Socio-economic Research, Esch-sur-Alzette, Luxembourg
| | - Christopher Millett
- Public Health Policy Evaluation Unit, Imperial College London, London, UK; NOVA National School of Public Health, Public Health Research Centre, Comprehensive Health Research Center, NOVA University Lisbon, Lisbon, Portugal
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Guerra S, Roope LS, Tsiachristas A. Assessing the relationship between coverage of essential health services and poverty levels in low- and middle-income countries. Health Policy Plan 2024; 39:156-167. [PMID: 38300510 PMCID: PMC10883664 DOI: 10.1093/heapol/czae002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Revised: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/29/2024] [Indexed: 02/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Universal health coverage (UHC) aims to provide essential health services and financial protection to all. This study aimed to assess the relationship between the service coverage aspect of universal health coverage and poverty in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs). Using country-level data from 96 LMICs from 1990 to 2017, we employed fixed-effects and random-effects regressions to investigate the association of eight service coverage indicators (inpatient admissions; antenatal care; skilled birth attendance; full immunization; cervical and breast cancer screening rates; diarrhoea and acute respiratory infection treatment rates) with poverty headcount ratios and gaps at the $1.90, $3.20 and $5.50 poverty lines. Missing data were imputed using within-country linear interpolation or extrapolation. One-unit increases in seven service indicators (breast cancer screening being the only one with no significant associations) were associated with reduced poverty headcounts by 2.54, 2.46 and 1.81 percentage points at the $1.90, $3.20 and $5.50 lines, respectively. The corresponding reductions in poverty gaps were 0.99 ($1.90), 1.83 ($3.20) and 1.89 ($5.50) percentage points. Apart from cervical cancer screening, which was only significant in one poverty headcount model ($5.50 line), all other service indicators were significant in either the poverty headcount or gap models at both $1.90 and $3.20 poverty lines. In LMICs, higher service coverage rates are associated with lower incidence and intensity of poverty. Further research is warranted to identify the causal pathways and specific circumstances in which improved health services in LMICs might help to reduce poverty.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanny Guerra
- Health Economics Research Centre, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Richard Doll Building, Old Road Campus, Oxford OX3 7LF, United Kingdom
- Department of Population Health Sciences, King’s College London, Guy’s Campus, Great Maze Pond, London SE1 1UL, United Kingdom
| | - Laurence Sj Roope
- Health Economics Research Centre, Nuffield Department of Population Health, University of Oxford, Richard Doll Building, Old Road Campus, Oxford OX3 7LF, United Kingdom
| | - Apostolos Tsiachristas
- Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, Radcliffe Primary Care Building, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Woodstock Road, Oxford OX2 6GG, United Kingdom
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Ziegler S, Srivastava S, Parmar D, Basu S, Jain N, De Allegri M. A step closer towards achieving universal health coverage: the role of gender in enrolment in health insurance in India. BMC Health Serv Res 2024; 24:141. [PMID: 38279165 PMCID: PMC10821565 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-023-10473-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 12/12/2023] [Indexed: 01/28/2024] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND There is limited understanding of how universal health coverage (UHC) schemes such as publicly-funded health insurance (PFHI) benefit women as compared to men. Many of these schemes are gender-neutral in design but given the existing gender inequalities in many societies, their benefits may not be similar for women and men. We contribute to the evidence by conducting a gender analysis of the enrolment of individuals and households in India's national PFHI scheme, Rashtriya Swasthya Bima Yojana (RSBY). METHODS We used data from a cross-sectional household survey on RSBY eligible families across eight Indian states and studied different outcome variables at both the individual and household levels to compare enrolment among women and men. We applied multivariate logistic regressions and controlled for several demographic and socio-economic characteristics. RESULTS At the individual level, the analysis revealed no substantial differences in enrolment between men and women. Only in one state were women more likely to be enrolled in RSBY than men (AOR: 2.66, 95% CI: 1.32-5.38), and this pattern was linked to their status in the household. At the household level, analyses revealed that female-headed households had a higher likelihood to be enrolled (AOR: 1.36, 95% CI: 1.14-1.62), but not necessarily to have all household members enrolled. CONCLUSION Findings are surprising in light of India's well-documented gender bias, permeating different aspects of society, and are most likely an indication of success in designing a policy that did not favour participation by men above women, by mandating spouse enrolment and securing enrolment of up to five family members. Higher enrolment rates among female-headed households are also an indication of women's preferences for investments in health, in the context of a conducive policy environment. Further analyses are needed to examine if once enrolled, women also make use of the scheme benefits to the same extent as men do. India is called upon to capitalise on the achievements of RSBY and apply them to newer schemes such as PM-JAY.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Ziegler
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Medical Faculty and University Hospital, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 130.3, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
- Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, Friedrich-Ebert-Allee 32+36, 53113, Bonn, Germany.
| | - Swati Srivastava
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Medical Faculty and University Hospital, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 130.3, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Divya Parmar
- Department of Population Health Sciences, School of Life Course and Population Sciences, King's College London, Weston Education Centre, Cutcombe Road, London, SE5 9RJ, United Kingdom
| | - Sharmishtha Basu
- Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, B5/1 Safdarjung Enclave, 110029, New Delhi, India
| | - Nishant Jain
- Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH, B5/1 Safdarjung Enclave, 110029, New Delhi, India
| | - Manuela De Allegri
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, Medical Faculty and University Hospital, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 130.3, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
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Kaladharan S, Manayath D. Out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure in emerging economies: Evidence from panel data analysis. THE JOURNAL OF MEDICINE ACCESS 2024; 8:27550834241262108. [PMID: 39170728 PMCID: PMC11337179 DOI: 10.1177/27550834241262108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/30/2024] [Indexed: 08/23/2024]
Abstract
Background Achieving universal health coverage is one of the prominent targets of the United Nations' sustainable development goals. Reducing out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) is essential because high OOPE can deter the use of healthcare services, which can lead to poor health outcomes and medical impoverishment. Objectives The study sought to determine the effects of various factors such as Domestic General Government Health Expenditure, Gross Domestic Product, Government schemes and compulsory contributory healthcare financing schemes, and Voluntary health insurance schemes on OOPE per Capita in emerging economies. Design Econometric methods using panel data. Data Sources and Methods The study analyzed the publicly available panel data from the World Health Organization using fixed, random, and dynamic models. Results Domestic General Government Health Expenditure and Gross Domestic Product are associated with an increase in OOPE. Government schemes, compulsory contributory healthcare financing schemes, and voluntary health insurance programs are linked to a reduction in OOPE. Conclusion In conclusion, this study, conducted through econometric methods on panel data, sheds light on the critical importance of reducing OOPE to achieve universal health coverage, aligning with the United Nations' sustainable development goals. Countries shall implement a holistic approach focusing on preventive healthcare and health promotion, providing comprehensive health insurance, strengthening public health systems, and regulating medicine prices.
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Sharma SK, Nambiar D, Sankar H, Joseph J, Surendran S, Benny G. Gender-specific inequalities in coverage of Publicly Funded Health Insurance Schemes in Southern States of India: evidence from National Family Health Surveys. BMC Public Health 2023; 23:2414. [PMID: 38049794 PMCID: PMC10696875 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-023-17231-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Publicly Funded Health Insurance Schemes (PFHIS) are intended to play a role in achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC). In countries like India, PFHISs have low penetrance and provide limited coverage of services and of family members within households, which can mean that women lose out. Gender inequities in relation to financial risk protection are understudied. Given the emphasis being placed on achieving UHC for all in India, this paper examined intersecting gender inequalities and changes in PFHIS coverage in southern India, where its penetrance is greater and of longer duration. DATA AND METHODS This study used the fourth (NFHS-4, 2015-16) and fifth (NFHS-5, 2019-21) rounds of India's National Family Health Survey for five southern states: namely, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana. The World Health Organization's Health Equity Assessment Toolkit (HEAT) Plus and Stata were used to analyse PFHIS coverage disaggregated by seven dimensions of inequality. Ratios and differences for binary dimensions; Between Group Variance and Theil Index for unordered dimensions; Absolute and Relative Concentration Index (RCI) for ordered dimensions were computed separately for women and men. RESULTS Overall, PFHIS coverage increased significantly (p < 0.001) among women and men in Andhra Pradesh, and Kerala from NFHS-4 to NFHS-5. Overall, men had higher PFHIS coverage than women, especially in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu, and Telangana in both surveys. In both absolute and relative terms, PFHIS coverage was concentrated among older women and men across all states; age-related inequalities were higher among women than men in both surveys in Andhra Pradesh, Kerala, and Telengana. The magnitude of education-related inequalities was twice as high as among women in Telangana (RCINFHS-4: -12.23; RCINFHS-5: -9.98) and Andhra Pradesh (RCINFHS-4: -8.05; RCINFHS-5: -7.84) as compared to men in Telangana (RCINFHS-4: -5.58; RCINFHS-5: -2.30) and Andhra Pradesh (RCINFHS-4: -4.40; RCINFHS-5: -3.12) and these inequalities remained in NFHS-5, suggesting that lower education level women had greater coverage. In the latter survey, a high magnitude of wealth-related inequality was observed in women (RCINFHS-4: -15.78; RCINFHS-5: -14.36) and men (RCINFHS-4: -20.42; RCINFHS-5: -13.84) belonging to Kerala, whereas this inequality has decreased from NFHS-4 to NFHS-5., again suggestive of greater coverage among poorer populations. Caste-related inequalities were higher in women than men in both surveys, the magnitude of inequalities decreased between 2015-16 and 2019-20. CONCLUSIONS We found gender inequalities in self-reported enrolment in southern states with long-standing PFHIS. Inequalities favoured the poor, uneducated and elderly, which is to some extend desirable when rolling out a PFHIS intended for harder to reach populations. However, religion and caste-based inequalities, while reducing, were still prevalent among women. If PFHIS are to truly offer financial risk protection, they must address the intersecting marginalization faced by women and men, while meeting eventual goals of risk pooling, indicated by high coverage and low inequality across population sub-groups.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Devaki Nambiar
- Healthier Societies, The George Institute for Global Health, New Delhi, India
- Faculty of Medicine, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
- Prasanna School of Public Health, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India
| | - Hari Sankar
- The George Institute for Global Health, New Delhi, India
| | - Jaison Joseph
- The George Institute for Global Health, New Delhi, India
| | | | - Gloria Benny
- The George Institute for Global Health, New Delhi, India
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Ginsburg O, Vanderpuye V, Beddoe AM, Bhoo-Pathy N, Bray F, Caduff C, Florez N, Fadhil I, Hammad N, Heidari S, Kataria I, Kumar S, Liebermann E, Moodley J, Mutebi M, Mukherji D, Nugent R, So WKW, Soto-Perez-de-Celis E, Unger-Saldaña K, Allman G, Bhimani J, Bourlon MT, Eala MAB, Hovmand PS, Kong YC, Menon S, Taylor CD, Soerjomataram I. Women, power, and cancer: a Lancet Commission. Lancet 2023; 402:2113-2166. [PMID: 37774725 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(23)01701-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2022] [Revised: 06/27/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2023] [Indexed: 10/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Ophira Ginsburg
- Centre for Global Health, US National Cancer Institute, Rockville, MD, USA.
| | | | | | | | - Freddie Bray
- International Agency for Research on Cancer, Lyon, France
| | - Carlo Caduff
- Department of Global Health and Social Medicine, King's College London, London, UK
| | - Narjust Florez
- Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA; Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Nazik Hammad
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology-Oncology, St. Michael's Hospital, University of Toronto, Canada; Department of Oncology, Queens University, Kingston, Canada
| | - Shirin Heidari
- GENDRO, Geneva, Switzerland; Gender Centre, Geneva Graduate Institute, Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Ishu Kataria
- Center for Global Noncommunicable Diseases, RTI International, New Delhi, India
| | - Somesh Kumar
- Jhpiego India, Johns Hopkins University Affiliate, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Erica Liebermann
- University of Rhode Island College of Nursing, Providence, RI, USA
| | - Jennifer Moodley
- Cancer Research Initiative, Faculty of Health Sciences, School of Public Health and Family Medicine, and SAMRC Gynaecology Cancer Research Centre, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Miriam Mutebi
- Department of Surgery, Aga Khan University, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Deborah Mukherji
- Faculty of Medicine, American University of Beirut, Beirut, Lebanon; Clemenceau Medical Center Dubai, Dubai, United Arab Emirates
| | - Rachel Nugent
- Center for Global Noncommunicable Diseases, RTI International, Durham, NC, USA; Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Winnie K W So
- The Nethersole School of Nursing, Faculty of Medicine, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, New Territories, Hong Kong Special Administrative Region, China
| | - Enrique Soto-Perez-de-Celis
- Department of Geriatrics, National Institute of Medical Science and Nutrition Salvador Zubiran, Mexico City, Mexico
| | | | - Gavin Allman
- Center for Global Noncommunicable Diseases, RTI International, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Jenna Bhimani
- Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA
| | - María T Bourlon
- Department of Hemato-Oncology, National Institute of Medical Science and Nutrition Salvador Zubiran, Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Michelle A B Eala
- College of Medicine, University of the Philippines, Manila, Philippines; Department of Radiation Oncology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - Yek-Ching Kong
- Faculty of Medicine, Universiti Malaya, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Sonia Menon
- Cochrane Hepato-Biliary Group, Copenhagen Trial Unit, Centre for Clinical Intervention Research, The Capital Region, Copenhagen University Hospital-Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen, Denmark
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Ramos Rosas E, Winkler V, Huicho L, Blas MM, Brenner S, De Allegri M. Comprehensive Health Insurance and access to maternal healthcare services among Peruvian women: a cross-sectional study using the 2021 national demographic survey. BMC Pregnancy Childbirth 2023; 23:795. [PMID: 37968607 PMCID: PMC10647135 DOI: 10.1186/s12884-023-06086-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 11/17/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The government-subsidized health insurance scheme Seguro Integral de Salud ("SIS") was introduced in Peru initially to provide coverage to uninsured and poor pregnant women and children under five years old and was later extended to cover all uninsured members of the population following the Peruvian Plan Esencial de Aseguramiento Universal - "PEAS" (Essential UHC Package). Our study aimed to analyze the extent to which the introduction of SIS has increased equity in access and quality by comparing the utilization of maternal healthcare services among women with different insurance coverages. METHODS Relying on the 2021 round of the nationally-representative survey "ENDES" (Encuesta Nacional Demográfica y de Salud Familiar), we analyzed data for 19,181 women aged 15-49 with a history of pregnancy in the five years preceding the survey date. We used a series of logistic regressions to explore the association between health insurance coverage (defined as No Insurance, SIS, or Standard Insurance) and a series of outcome variables measuring access to and quality of all services along the available maternal healthcare continuum. RESULTS Only 46.5% of women across all insurance schemes reported having accessed effective ANC prevention. Findings from the adjusted logistic regression confirmed that insured women were more likely to have accessed ANC services compared with uninsured women. Our findings indicate that women in the "SIS" group were more likely to have accessed six ANC visits (aOR = 1.40; 95% CI 1.14-1.73) as well as effective ANC prevention (aOR = 1.32; 95% CI 1.17-1.48), ANC education (aOR = 1.59; 95% CI 1.41-1.80) and ANC screening (aOR = 1.46; 95% CI 1.27-1.69) during pregnancy, compared with women in the "Standard Insurance" group [aOR = 1.35 (95% CI 1.13-1.62), 1.22 (95% CI 1.04-1.42), 1.34 (95% CI 1.18-1.51) and 1.31(95% CI 1.15-1.49)] respectively. In addition, women in the "Standard Insurance" group were more likely to have received skilled attendance at birth (aOR = 2.17, 95% CI 1.33-3.55) compared with the women in the "SIS" insurance group (aOR = 2.12; 95% CI 1.41-3.17). CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicate the persistence of inequities in access to maternal healthcare services that manifest themselves not only in the reduced utilization among the uninsured, but also in the lower quality of service coverage that uninsured women received compared with women insured under "Standard Insurance" or "SIS". Further policy reforms are needed both to expand insurance coverage and to ensure that all women receive the same access to care irrespective of their specific insurance coverage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo Ramos Rosas
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, University Hospital and Medical Faculty, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 130.3, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Volker Winkler
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, University Hospital and Medical Faculty, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 130.3, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Luis Huicho
- Centro de Investigación en Salud Materna E Infantil, Centro de Investigación Para El Desarrollo Integral y Sostenible and School of Medicine, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | - Magaly M Blas
- School of Public Health and Administration, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | - Stephan Brenner
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, University Hospital and Medical Faculty, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 130.3, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Manuela De Allegri
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health, University Hospital and Medical Faculty, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 130.3, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
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Kaiser AH, Okorafor O, Ekman B, Chhim S, Yem S, Sundewall J. Assessing progress towards universal health coverage in Cambodia: Evidence using survey data from 2009 to 2019. Soc Sci Med 2023; 321:115792. [PMID: 36842307 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2023.115792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 10/27/2022] [Accepted: 02/17/2023] [Indexed: 02/22/2023]
Abstract
Over the past decades, many low- and middle-income countries have implemented health financing and system reforms to progress towards universal health coverage (UHC). In the case of Cambodia, out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) remains the main source of current health expenditure after several decades of reform, exposing households to financial risks when accessing healthcare and violating UHC's key tenet of financial protection. We use pre-pandemic data from the nationally representative Cambodia Socio-Economic Surveys of 2009 to 2019 to assess progress in financial protection to evaluate the reforms and obtain internationally comparable estimates. We find that following strong improvements in financial protection between 2009 and 2017, there was a reversal in the trend thereafter. The OOPE budget share rose, and the incidence of catastrophic spending and impoverishment increased in nearly all geographical and socioeconomic strata. For example, 17.7% of households experienced catastrophic health expenditure in 2019 at the threshold of 10% of total household consumption expenditure, and 3.9% of households were pushed into poverty by OOPE. The distribution of all financial protection indicators varied strongly across socioeconomic and geographical strata in all years. Fundamentally, the demonstrated trend reversal may jeopardize Cambodia's ability to progress towards UHC. To improve financial protection in the short term, there is a need to address the burden created by OOPE through targeted interventions to household groups that are most affected. In the medium term, our findings emphasize the importance of expanding health pre-payment schemes to currently uncovered vulnerable groups, specifically the near-poor. The government also needs to consider extending the scope of services covered and the range of providers to include the private sector under these schemes to reduce reliance on OOPE.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea Hannah Kaiser
- Lund University, Department of Clinical Sciences, Malmö (IKVM), Division of Social Medicine and Global Health (SMGH), CRC, Jan Waldenströms Gata 35, Malmö, Sweden; Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) GmbH Cambodia, Improving Social Protection and Health Project, Sayon Building, Samdach Pan Ave No. 41, 12211, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
| | - Okore Okorafor
- Forte Metrix Consulting, 58 Sara Circle, Langeberg Heights, Durbanville, 7550, Western Cape, South Africa.
| | - Björn Ekman
- Lund University, Department of Clinical Sciences, Malmö (IKVM), Division of Social Medicine and Global Health (SMGH), CRC, Jan Waldenströms Gata 35, Malmö, Sweden.
| | - Srean Chhim
- National Institute of Public Health Cambodia, Lot 80, Street 566 & Corner with Street 289, Boeung Kak 2, Toul Kork, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
| | - Sokunthea Yem
- National Institute of Public Health Cambodia, Lot 80, Street 566 & Corner with Street 289, Boeung Kak 2, Toul Kork, Phnom Penh, Cambodia.
| | - Jesper Sundewall
- Lund University, Department of Clinical Sciences, Malmö (IKVM), Division of Social Medicine and Global Health (SMGH), CRC, Jan Waldenströms Gata 35, Malmö, Sweden; HEARD, University of KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
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Watson M, Filia K, Stevens A, Cotton S, Nelson B, Ratheesh A. A systematic review and meta-analysis of global and social functioning among people at risk of bipolar disorder. J Affect Disord 2023; 321:290-303. [PMID: 36306929 DOI: 10.1016/j.jad.2022.10.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2022] [Revised: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/17/2022] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Functional status could predict development of bipolar disorder (BD) or have clinical significance. The relationship between BD risk and functioning is poorly understood. We undertook a systematic review examining the global and social functioning of those at risk for BD. METHODS We examined observational studies comparing a risk sample with healthy controls or full-threshold BD participants, using measures of global or social functioning. Risk status included family history of BD, meeting risk criteria, or having prodromal symptomatology, or premorbid functioning of persons with BD. Medline, PsycINFO, and Embase were searched. The Newcastle-Ottawa Scale for Cross-Sectional Studies was used to assess quality. Meta-analyses were performed where possible. RESULTS 7215 studies were screened and 40 studies were included (8474 participants). Risk samples had poorer functioning than controls, and superior functioning to participants with BD. Meta-analysis indicated poorer global functioning among persons with familial risk compared to healthy controls (mean global functional difference: 5.92; 95 % confidence interval: 7.90, 3.95; mean premorbid functioning difference: 2.31; 95 % confidence interval: 0.70, 3.92). Studies with higher proportions of female participants had slightly poorer global functioning. High heterogeneity was attributable functional measures and potentially functionally differential subgroups within the risk samples. LIMITATIONS Broader measures of functioning, such as neurocognition and behavioural measures, were excluded. Measures of global functioning are limited by conflating functioning and symptoms. CONCLUSIONS Functioning in the BD risk populations is intermediate to that of healthy controls and persons with BD, indicating their value in definitions of BD risk, in itself a likely heterogeneous state.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Watson
- The University of Melbourne, Centre for Youth Mental Health, Parkville 3052, Australia; The University of Melbourne, Melbourne Medical School, Parkville 3052, Australia
| | - K Filia
- Orygen, Parkville 3052, Australia
| | | | - S Cotton
- Orygen, Parkville 3052, Australia
| | - B Nelson
- Orygen, Parkville 3052, Australia
| | - A Ratheesh
- Orygen, Parkville 3052, Australia; The University of Melbourne, Centre for Youth Mental Health, Parkville 3052, Australia.
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Mwamba B, Mayers P, Shea J. Sexual and reproductive health knowledge of postgraduate students at the University of Cape Town, in South Africa. Reprod Health 2022; 19:225. [PMID: 36522681 PMCID: PMC9756593 DOI: 10.1186/s12978-022-01507-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Globally and in South Africa, university students' knowledge of sexual and reproductive health (SRH) is low. This study was conducted in response to the dearth of information about the sexual and reproductive health knowledge of postgraduate students. Research conducted to explore the SRH knowledge of undergraduate students suggests that the level of SRH knowledge among undergraduate students is low. The aim of this study was to determine the SRH knowledge of postgraduate students with regards to contraceptives, sexually transmitted illnesses (STI), human immunodeficiency virus (HIV), Pap smear and clinical breast examination at University of Cape Town (UCT), in South Africa. METHOD A cross sectional survey design was utilized, using an adapted and pretested online questionnaire. The aim of this study was to determine the SRH knowledge of postgraduate students at the UCT. Minor adjustments were made to the questionnaire to suit the South African context. Selected aspects of SRH were included in the current study: knowledge and use of contraceptives, Pap smear, clinical breast examination, STIs and HIV. These variables were considered to be general enough to be answerable by male and female respondents and are the most important considerations in reproductive health care in South Africa, as there is a high prevalence of STIs, HIV and cervical and breast cancers. All postgraduate students enrolled in the first semester of 2017 (9444) were invited to anonymously complete the online survey. Data was exported to the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23.0 and analysed using descriptive statistics such as mean, standard deviation, frequencies and percentages. RESULTS Four hundred and six (406) students completed the online survey, of whom 293 were female and 107 males. The age range of respondents was between 18 and 57 years, with the median age for both male and female respondents being 24 years. Six survey responses were excluded from the statistical analysis because of incomplete data. Post graduate students from the African continent comprised 90.75% of the respondents. Most respondents were white (51.50%) from both Africa and abroad. The results indicated that respondents knew about sexually transmitted infections, and human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). Female respondents were more aware of breast examination, and the role of Papanicolaou smear (Pap smear) in SRH. Almost half of the respondents in this study (49%) stated that they had no need for more information about contraceptives. Lecturers were identified as one of the top five sources of information, which suggests that the university environment provides students with important SRH-related information. CONCLUSION Most postgraduate students had knowledge of sexual and reproductive health with regards to contraception, Pap smear, clinical breast examination, STIs, HIV and AIDS. Further research should focus on the relationship between SRH knowledge and usage among this population. As university lecturers were identified as an important source of information across faculties, the University should consider the incorporation of SRH education in the broader curriculum and as an integral component of student health services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bupe Mwamba
- grid.7836.a0000 0004 1937 1151Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Pat Mayers
- grid.7836.a0000 0004 1937 1151Associate Professor Emeritus, Department of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa ,grid.8974.20000 0001 2156 8226School of Nursing, University of the Western Cape, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Jawaya Shea
- grid.7836.a0000 0004 1937 1151Department of Paediatrics and Child Health, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
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Amoah PA, Boateng MO, Koduah AO, Acheampong PR. Interplay of health literacy, healthcare access and health behaviors with oral health status among older persons. Front Public Health 2022; 10:997987. [PMID: 36568738 PMCID: PMC9784911 DOI: 10.3389/fpubh.2022.997987] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
This study contributes to the ongoing debate on social determinants of oral health of older persons. Specifically, it examines the direct and indirect effects of health literacy and access to healthcare on oral health status of older persons. The study also investigates whether general health status and health behavior (routine medical check-ups) explain the association of health literacy and healthcare access with oral health status. The gender dimensions of these relationships are also explored. Data were derived from 522 participants aged 50 years and older located in five regions in Ghana. Path analyses in structural equation modeling (SEM) were used to analyse the data. General health status (β = -0.049, p < 0.005), medical check-up (β = 0.124, p < 0.01), and health literacy (β = 0.133, p < 0.01) were positively associated with oral health status. General health status mediated the positive relationship between health literacy and oral health status (β = 0.048, p < 0.01). General health status (β = 0.016, p < 0.05) and medical check-ups (β = 0.025, p < 0.05) mediated the association between access to healthcare and oral health status. The mediational role of routine medical check-up in the association between access to healthcare and oral health status was significantly stronger (B = 0.063, p < 0.01) among men (β = 0.051, p < 0.01) than women (β = 0.003, p > 0.05). Analyses of oral health issues among older persons in Ghana and settings alike must recognize the complex interplay among critical social determinants to initiate pragmatic health and social policy interventions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Padmore Adusei Amoah
- Department of Applied Psychology, School of Graduate Studies, Institute of Policy Studies, Lingnan University, Tuen Mun, Hong Kong SAR, China,*Correspondence: Padmore Adusei Amoah
| | | | - Adwoa Owusuaa Koduah
- Center of Gerontological Nursing, School of Nursing, The Hong Kong Polytechnic University, Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China
| | - Princess Ruhama Acheampong
- Department of Health Promotion and Education, School of Public Health, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana
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Shukla A, Vazquez-Quesada L, Vieitez I, Acharya R, RamaRao S. Quality of care in abortion in the era of technological and medical advancements and self-care. Reprod Health 2022; 19:191. [PMID: 36109756 PMCID: PMC9479303 DOI: 10.1186/s12978-022-01499-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2021] [Accepted: 08/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Discussions around quality of abortion care have been focused mainly on service-delivery aspects inside healthcare facilities. More recently, with availability of medical abortion (MA), increase in its self-use, and emergence of other delivery platforms such as telemedicine, the responsibility of quality care has broadened to actors outside of facilities.
Body of text
This commentary discusses the meaning of quality of abortion care with the paradigm shift brought by medical and technological advancement in abortions, and raises questions on the role of the state in ensuring quality in abortion management—especially in settings where abortion is decriminalized, but also in countries where abortion is permitted under certain circumstances. It consolidates the experience gained thus far in the provision of safe abortion services and also serves as a forward-thinking tool to keep pace with the uptake of newer health technologies (e.g., availability of medical abortion drugs), service delivery platforms (e.g., telemedicine, online pharmacies), and abortion care providers (e.g., community based pharmacists).
Conclusions
This commentary provides context and rationale, and identifies areas for action that different stakeholders, including health advocates, policymakers, program managers, and women themselves, can adopt to fit into an alternative regime of abortion care.
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Domapielle MK, Sumankuuro J, Bebelleh FD. Revisiting the debate on health financing in Low and Middle‐income countries: An integrative review of selected models. Int J Health Plann Manage 2022; 37:3061-3074. [DOI: 10.1002/hpm.3566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2022] [Revised: 08/07/2022] [Accepted: 08/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Maximillian Kolbe Domapielle
- Department of Governance and Development Management Faculty of Public Policy and Governance. SDD ‐ University of Business and Integrated Development Studies Wa U.W.R Ghana
| | - Joshua Sumankuuro
- Department of Public Policy and Management Faculty of Public Policy and Governance. SDD ‐ University of Business and Integrated Development Studies Wa U.W.R Ghana
| | - Frederick Der Bebelleh
- Department of Development Studies Faculty of Integrated Development Studies. SDD ‐ University of Business and Integrated Development Studies Wa U.W.R Ghana
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Oladimeji OJ, Fatusi AO. Realist Evaluation of the "Abiye" Safe Motherhood Initiative in Nigeria: Unveiling the Black-Box of Program Implementation and Health System Strengthening. FRONTIERS IN HEALTH SERVICES 2022; 2:779130. [PMID: 36925893 PMCID: PMC10012745 DOI: 10.3389/frhs.2022.779130] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Introduction Realist evaluation studies have spanned different aspects of medicine, especially in the field of public health. However, very few of these studies explicitly detailed how program implementation triggered outcomes that could strengthen understanding of its effect on Health System Strengthening in specific settings. In low- and middle-income countries, like Nigeria, there is a paucity of realist evaluation studies, despite the implementation of multiple intervention programs and projects in these countries. This article is aimed at unveiling the black-box of program implementation and Health System Strengthening of the "Abiye" Safe Motherhood Program in Ondo State, Nigeria. Specifically, it identified the role of contextual factors in the "Abiye" program in Ondo State, determined the mechanisms that facilitated or constrained outcomes of the "Abiye" program, and developed a Context Mechanism Outcome (CMO) Configuration from which a Middle Range Theory (MRT) can be framed. Methodology This was qualitative research structured along with the realist domains (Context, Mechanism, and Outcome). The Initial Program Theory was validated by the qualitative study, after which a new MRT was developed. The study population comprised key stakeholders, secondary stakeholders, and primary stakeholders in the Abiye safe motherhood program. Data was collected through 10 key informant interviews, 28 in-depth interviews, and six focus group discussions sessions. Thematic analysis was used to analyze all the qualitative data collected, and seven themes with 19 subthemes emerged in the study. Results We identified 13 contextual factors under five principal areas, with most of the factors playing enabling roles, some playing inhibitory roles, while very few played both roles. We elicited eight mechanisms, and some of these facilitated the outcomes, while some constrained the outcomes of the program. Health system strengthening was a key feature of the outcome of the program. We developed a middle-range theory based on the 6 CMO configurations we elicited from the study. Conclusion and Policy Implications Realist evaluation is an iterative process that looks beyond the surface to generate evidence. By applying the realist approach, we generated pieces of evidence that can be adapted for policymaking in public health interventions in LMIC.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Adesegun O Fatusi
- Academy for Health Development, Ile-Ife, Nigeria.,Office of the Vice-Chancellor, University of Medical Sciences, Ondo, Nigeria.,Department of Community Health, Faculty of Clinical Sciences, College of Health Sciences, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
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Chauluka M, Uzochukwu BSC, Chinkhumba J. Factors Associated With Coverage of Health Insurance Among Women in Malawi. FRONTIERS IN HEALTH SERVICES 2022; 2:780550. [PMID: 36925801 PMCID: PMC10012821 DOI: 10.3389/frhs.2022.780550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Introduction Access to healthcare for the vulnerable groups including women has long been a theme encouraged worldwide from the first general assembly on health to the current sustainable development goals. Despite many countries having a free public healthcare system, there are inequalities in access to care and significant out-of-pocket spending, pushing most women into poverty against the principles of universal health coverage. Coverage of Malawian women with health insurance is poor; thus, there is limited cushioning and high risk of poverty, as women bear costs of care as primary caregivers. There is need to explore determinants of coverage of health insurance among women in Malawi to inform health policy. Methodology This study was quantitative in nature, using cross-sectional secondary data from the 2015 to 2016 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey involving women aged between 15 and 49 years. We assessed factors associated with insurance coverage by comparing women with and without insurance schemes using binary logistic regression. Analysis was done using STATA statistical package version 13. Results The analysis included a total of 24,562 women with a mean age of 28 SD (9.3). Of these cases, 1.5% had health insurance. High education attainment, occupation, and wealth were significantly associated with health insurance ownership, with all having p-values of < 0.01. On the other hand, a woman's residence, marital status, and who heads a household were not associated with ownership of health insurance significantly. Conclusion Education, occupation, and wealth have a key role in influencing a woman's choice in owning health insurance. This informs policymakers and health insurance providers on how best to approach women's health financing and factors to target in social security programs and health insurance products that speak to women's needs and capacity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Margaret Chauluka
- Department of Health Systems and Policy, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi
| | - Benjamin S C Uzochukwu
- Department of Community Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka, Nigeria
| | - Jobiba Chinkhumba
- Department of Health Systems and Policy, Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, Blantyre, Malawi
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Khalid S, Dixon S, Vijayasingham L. The gender responsiveness of social entrepreneurship in health - A review of initiatives by Ashoka fellows. Soc Sci Med 2021; 293:114665. [PMID: 34954676 DOI: 10.1016/j.socscimed.2021.114665] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/11/2021] [Revised: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 12/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
There are vocal calls to act on the gender-related barriers and inequities in global health. Still, there are gaps in implementing programmes that address and counter the relevant dynamics. As an approach that focuses on social problems and public service delivery gaps, social entrepreneurship has the potential to be a closer health sector partner to tackle and transform the influence of gender in health to achieve health systems goals better. Nevertheless, social entrepreneurs' engagement and impact on gender and health remain understudied. Using the Ashoka Fellows database as a sampling frame in November 2020 (n = 3352, health n = 129), we identified and reviewed the work of 21 organizations that implemented gender-responsive health-related programmes between 2000 and 2020. We applied the UNU-IIGH 6-I Analytic Framework to review the gender issues, interventions, included populations, investments, implementation, and impact in each organization. We found that a low proportion of fellows engage in gender-responsive health programming (<1%). Many organizations operate in low-and middle-income countries (16/21). The gender-responsive programmes include established health sector practices, to address gendered-cultural dynamics and deliver people-centred resources and services. Interestingly, most organizations self-identify as NGOs and rely on traditional grant funding. Fewer organizations (6/21) adopt market-based and income-generating solutions - a missed opportunity to actualise the potential of social entrepreneurship as an innovative health financing approach. There were few publicly available impact evaluations-a gap in practice established in social entrepreneurship. All organizations implemented programmes at community levels, with some cross-sectoral, structural, and policy-level initiatives. Most focused on sexual and reproductive health and gender-based violence for predominantly populations of women and girls. Closer partnerships between social entrepreneurs and gender experts in the health sector can provide reciprocally beneficial solutions for cross-sectorally and community designed innovations, health financing, evidence generation and impact tracking that improve the gender-responsiveness of health programmes, policies, and systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shazmin Khalid
- United Nations University International Institute for Global Health, UKM Medical Centre, Jalan Yaacob Latiff, 56000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; School of Business, Monash University Malaysia, Jalan Lagoon Selatan, 46150, Bandar Sunway, Selangor Darul Ehsan, Malaysia
| | - Shrijna Dixon
- United Nations University International Institute for Global Health, UKM Medical Centre, Jalan Yaacob Latiff, 56000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia; Rockefeller College of Public Affairs and Policy, University at Albany- State University of New York 1400 Washington Ave, Albany, NY, 12222, USA
| | - Lavanya Vijayasingham
- United Nations University International Institute for Global Health, UKM Medical Centre, Jalan Yaacob Latiff, 56000, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.
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21
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Appleford G, RamaRao S, Bellows B. The inclusion of sexual and reproductive health services within universal health care through intentional design. Sex Reprod Health Matters 2021; 28:1799589. [PMID: 32787538 PMCID: PMC7887933 DOI: 10.1080/26410397.2020.1799589] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In this paper, we argue that how sexual and reproductive health (SRH) services are included in UHC and health financing matters, and that this has implications for universality and equity. This is a matter of rights, given the differential health risks that women face, including unwanted pregnancy. How traditional vertical SRH services are compensated under UHC also matters and should balance incentives for efficiency with incentives for appropriate provision using the rights-based approach to user-centred care so that risks of sub-optimal outcomes are mitigated. This suggests that as UHC benefits packages are designed, there is need for the SRH community to advocate for more than simple “SRH inclusion”. This paper describes a practical approach to integrate quality of SRH care within the UHC agenda using a framework called the “5Ps”. The framework emphasises a “systems” and “design” lens as important steps to quality. The framework can be applied at different scales, from the health system to the individual user level. It also pays attention to how financing and resource policies intended to promote UHC may support or undermine the respect, protection and fulfilment of SRH and rights. The framework was originally developed with a specific emphasis on quality provision of family planning. In this paper, we have extended it to cover other SRH services.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Ben Bellows
- Associate, Population Council, Washington, DC, USA
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22
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Borja S, Berger Cardoso J, De La Cruz PI, Perreira KM, Giraldo-Santiago N, Jasso Oyervides MV. Health Insurance Access Among US Citizen Children In Mexico: National And Transborder Policy Implications. Health Aff (Millwood) 2021; 40:1066-1074. [PMID: 34228525 DOI: 10.1377/hlthaff.2021.00087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
More than 500,000 US citizen migrant children were residing in Mexico in 2015, and more than half of them had limited, inadequate health insurance despite their citizenship status. The majority of these children lived in Mexican states near the US border. Despite these numbers, knowledge regarding these children and their health has been scarce. To address these knowledge gaps, we analyzed data from the 2015 Mexican Intercensal Survey to examine whether the health insurance status of US citizen migrant children in Mexico is linked to individual, household, and state factors. We compared rates of insured US citizen migrant children with rates among those who were underinsured. We found high rates of underinsurance among US citizen migrant children, especially in northern Mexican border states. Parental education, labor-force participation, urban residence, and border residence partially accounted for these children's probability of being insured. Our results have implications for binational policies that extend health care protection to US citizen migrant children through reintegration assistance for their parents, an expedited dual-citizenship application process, and exempting these children from the automatic cancellation of US-based health benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sharon Borja
- Sharon Borja is an assistant professor in the Graduate College of Social Work, University of Houston, in Houston, Texas
| | - Jodi Berger Cardoso
- Jodi Berger Cardoso is an associate professor in the Graduate College of Social Work, University of Houston
| | - Pedro Isnardo De La Cruz
- Pedro Isnardo De La Cruz is a research coordinator and professor at the Escuela Nacional de Trabajo Social, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, in Mexico City, Mexico
| | - Krista M Perreira
- Krista M. Perreira is a professor in the School of Medicine, University of North Carolina, in Chapel Hill, North Carolina
| | - Natalia Giraldo-Santiago
- Natalia Giraldo-Santiago is a PhD candidate in the Graduate College of Social Work, University of Houston
| | - Martha Virginia Jasso Oyervides
- Martha Virginia Jasso Oyervides is a professor at the Facultad de Trabajo Social, Universidad Autónoma de Coahuila, in Saltillo, Coahuila, Mexico
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23
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Cobianchi L, Dal Mas F, Massaro M, Bednarova R, Biancuzzi H, Filisetti C, Barcellini A, Orlandi E, Miceli L, Angelos P. Hand in hand: A multistakeholder approach for co-production of surgical care. Am J Surg 2021; 223:214-215. [PMID: 34376274 DOI: 10.1016/j.amjsurg.2021.07.053] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Revised: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 07/31/2021] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Abstract
Starting from a recent experience with breast cancer patients, our paper argues how co-production may represent a successful strategy to empower patients and reach better surgical outcomes, especially when a multistakeholder approach is employed. Co-production, where clinicians and other meaningful stakeholders like citizens, patient's associations, and policymakers are "hand in hand" with the patients, stands as one of the pillars of modern healthcare ecosystems. There is a call for the surgical community to investigate the benefit of creating programs of co-production with the patients and other meaningful stakeholders to improve the quality and outcomes of surgical care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lorenzo Cobianchi
- Department of Clinical, Diagnostic and Pediatric Sciences, University of Pavia Polo Didattico, "Cesare Brusotti" Viale Brambilla, 74, 27100, Pavia, Italy; IRCCS Policlinico San Matteo Foundation, General Surgery. Viale Camillo Golgi, 19, 27100, Pavia, Italy
| | - Francesca Dal Mas
- Department of Management, Lincoln International Business School, University of Lincoln, Brayford Wharf E, Lincoln, LN5 7AT, UK; Ipazia, Observatory on Gender Research, Via Del Castro Laurenziano, 9, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Maurizio Massaro
- Department of Management, Ca' Foscari University, Cannaregio 873, 30121, Venice, Italy
| | - Rym Bednarova
- Department of Pain Medicine, Hospital of Latisana (ASUFC), Via Sabbionera, 45, 33053, Latisana, Italy
| | - Helena Biancuzzi
- Ipazia, Observatory on Gender Research, Via Del Castro Laurenziano, 9, 00161, Rome, Italy
| | - Claudia Filisetti
- Department of Pediatric Surgery V. Buzzi Children Hospital, Via Lodovico Castelvetro, 32, 20154, Milan, Italy
| | - Amelia Barcellini
- National Center for Oncological Hadrontherapy (Fondazione CNAO), Str. Campeggi, 53, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Ester Orlandi
- National Center for Oncological Hadrontherapy (Fondazione CNAO), Str. Campeggi, 53, 27100 Pavia, Italy
| | - Luca Miceli
- Department of Pain Medicine, IRCCS C.R.O. National Cancer Institute of Aviano, Via Franco Gallini, 2, 33081, Aviano, Italy
| | - Peter Angelos
- Department of Surgery and MacLean Center for Clinical Medical Ethics, The University of Chicago, 5841 S. Maryland Avenue, MC 4052, Chicago, IL, 60637, USA.
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Abstract
Unsafe abortion practices remain the major contributor to maternal death in Uganda, impeding the achievement of universal health coverage and quality of maternal health care. Using an ethnographic design and critical discourse analysis, we explored the operations of power in setting maternal healthcare priorities, as evident at the 2018 Reproductive, Maternal, Neonatal, Child and Adolescents Health Conference. Observational data were collected of the policy-making activities, processes and events and key informant interviews were conducted with 27 participants. We describe how neoliberal and state governance through the structure and organization of policy-making, epistemic governance and universal concepts of ‘high-impact’ interventions, results-based financing, cost-effectiveness and accountability converge to suppress the articulation of local conditions associated with unsafe and risky abortion. By defining maternity along the continuum of birth and emphasizing birthing women, priority-setting was directed towards interventions promoting women’s normative role as mothers while suppressing unmet abortion care needs. Finally, discursive and communicative materials controlled how women of reproductive age in Uganda managed reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Kagaha
- School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Lenore Manderson
- School of Public Health, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa.,Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Brown University, Providence, RI, USA.,Department of Anthropology, School of Social Sciences, Menzies Building 20 Chancellors Walk, Monash University, Clayton VIC 3800, Australia
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25
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Chirwa GC, Suhrcke M, Moreno-Serra R. Socioeconomic inequality in premiums for a community-based health insurance scheme in Rwanda. Health Policy Plan 2021; 36:14-25. [PMID: 33263730 DOI: 10.1093/heapol/czaa135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Community-based health insurance (CBHI) has gained popularity in many low- and middle-income countries, partly as a policy response to calls for low-cost, pro-poor health financing solutions. In Africa, Rwanda has successfully implemented two types of CBHI systems since 2005, one of which with a flat rate premium (2005-10) and the other with a stratified premium (2011-present). Existing CBHI evaluations have, however, tended to ignore the potential distributional aspects of the household contributions made towards CBHI. In this paper, we investigate the pattern of socioeconomic inequality in CBHI household premium contributions in Rwanda within the implementation periods. We also assess gender differences in CBHI contributions. Using the 2010/11 and 2013/14 rounds of national survey data, we quantify the magnitude of inequality in CBHI payments, decompose the concentration index of inequality, calculate Kakwani indices and implement unconditional quantile regression decomposition to assess gender differences in CBHI expenditure. We find that the CBHI with stratified premiums is less regressive than CBHI with a flat rate premium system. Decomposition analysis indicates that income and CBHI stratification explain a large share of the inequality in CBHI payments. With respect to gender, female-headed households make lower contributions towards CBHI expenditure, compared with male-headed households. In terms of policy implications, the results suggest that there may be a need for increasing the premium bracket for the wealthier households, as well as for the provision of more subsidies to vulnerable households.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Marc Suhrcke
- Centre for Health Economics, University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, UK.,Luxembourg Institute of Socio-Economic Research (LISER), Maison des Sciences Humaines, 11, Porte des Sciences, L-4366 Esch-sur-Alzette/Belval
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26
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Jacobs T, George A, De Jong M. Policy foundations for transformation: a gender analysis of adolescent health policy documents in South Africa. Health Policy Plan 2021; 36:684-694. [PMID: 33852727 PMCID: PMC8248976 DOI: 10.1093/heapol/czab041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2020] [Revised: 02/26/2021] [Accepted: 03/23/2021] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
The Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the United Nations Global Strategy
(2016–30) emphasize that all women, children and adolescents
‘survive, thrive and transform’. A key element of this global
policy framework is that gender equality is a stand-alone goal as well as a
cross-cutting priority. Gender inequality and intersecting social and structural
determinants shape health systems, including the content of policy documents,
with implications for implementation. This article applies a gender lens to
policy documents by national government bodies that have mandates on adolescent
health in South Africa. Data were 15 policy documents, authored between 2003 and
2018, by multiple actors. The content analysis was guided by key lines of
enquiry, and policy documents were classified along the continuum of gender
blind to gender transformative. Only three policy documents defined gender, and
if gender was addressed, it was mostly in gender-sensitive ways, at times gender
specific, but rarely gender transformative. Building on this, a critical
discourse analysis identified what is problematized and what is left
unproblematized by actors, identifying the key interrelated dominant and
marginalized discourses, as well as the ‘silences’ embedded in
policy documents. The discourse analysis revealed that dominant and marginalized
discourses reflect how gender is conceptualized as fixed, categorical
identities, vs as fluid social processes, with implications for how rights and
risks are understood. The discourses substantiate an over-riding focus on
adolescent girls, outside of the context of power relations, with minimal
attention to boys in terms of their own health or through a gender lens, as well
as little consideration of LGBTIQ+ adolescents beyond HIV. Dynamic and
complex relationships exist between the South Africa context, actors, content
and processes, in shaping both how gender is problematized and how
‘solutions’ are represented in these policies. How gender is
conceptualized matters, both for policy analysis and for praxis, and policy
documents can be part of foundations for transforming gender and intersecting
power relations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tanya Jacobs
- School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, Robert Sobukwe Rd, Western Cape 7535, South Africa
| | - Asha George
- School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, Robert Sobukwe Rd, Western Cape 7535, South Africa
| | - Michelle De Jong
- School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape, Bellville, Robert Sobukwe Rd, Western Cape 7535, South Africa
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27
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RamPrakash R, Lingam L. Why is women's utilization of a publicly funded health insurance low?: a qualitative study in Tamil Nadu, India. BMC Public Health 2021; 21:350. [PMID: 33579249 PMCID: PMC7881649 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-021-10352-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2020] [Accepted: 01/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND The continuing impetus for universal health coverage has given rise to publicly funded health insurance schemes in lower-middle income countries. However, there is insufficient understanding of how universal health coverage schemes impact gender equality and equity. This paper attempts to understand why utilization of a publicly funded health insurance scheme has been found to be lower among women compared to men in a southern Indian state. It aims to identify the gender barriers across various social institutions that thwart the policy objectives of providing financial protection and improved access to inpatient care for women. METHODS A qualitative study on the Chief Minister's Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme was carried out in urban and rural impoverished localities in Tamil Nadu, a southern state in India. Thirty-three women and 16 men who had a recent history of hospitalization and 14 stakeholders were purposefully interviewed. Transcribed interviews were content analyzed based on Naila Kabeer's Social Relations Framework using gender as an analytical category. RESULTS While unpacking the navigation pathways of women to utilize publicly funded health insurance to access inpatient care, gender barriers are found operating at the household, community, and programmatic levels. Unpaid care work, financial dependence, mobility constraints, and gender norms emerged as the major gender-specific barriers arising from the household. Exclusions from insurance enrollment activities at the community level were mediated by a variety of social inequities. Market ideologies in insurance and health, combined with poor governance by State, resulted in out-of-pocket health expenditures, acute information asymmetry, selective availability of care, and poor acceptability. These gender barriers were found to be mediated by all four institutions-household, community, market, and State-resulting in lower utilization of the scheme by women. CONCLUSIONS Health policies which aim to provide financial protection and improve access to healthcare services need to address gender as a crucial social determinant. A gender-blind health insurance can not only leave many pre-existing gender barriers unaddressed but also accentuate others. This paper stresses that universal health coverage policy and programs need to have an explicit focus on gender and other social determinants to promote access and equity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rajalakshmi RamPrakash
- Loyola Institute of Business Administration, Loyola College Campus, Nungambakkam, Chennai, 600034 Tamil Nadu India
| | - Lakshmi Lingam
- Tata Institute of Social Sciences, V.N. Purav Marg, Deonar, Mumbai, 400088 India
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28
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Ravindran TKS, Govender V. Sexual and reproductive health services in universal health coverage: a review of recent evidence from low- and middle-income countries. Sex Reprod Health Matters 2020; 28:1779632. [PMID: 32530387 PMCID: PMC7887992 DOI: 10.1080/26410397.2020.1779632] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
If universal health coverage (UHC) cannot be achieved without the sexual and reproductive health (SRH) needs of the population being met, what then is the current situation vis-à-vis universal coverage of SRH services, and the extent to which SRH services have been prioritised in national UHC plans and processes? This was the central question that guided this critical review of more than 200 publications between 2010 and 2019. The findings are the following. The Essential Package of Healthcare Services (EPHS) across many countries excludes several critical SRH services (e.g. safe abortion services, reproductive cancers) that are already poorly available. Inadequate international and domestic public funding of SRH services contributes to a sustained burden of out-of-pocket expenditure (OOPE) and inequities in access to SRH services. Policy and legal barriers, restrictive gender norms and gender-based inequalities challenge the delivery and access to quality SRH services. The evidence is mixed as to whether an expanded role and scope of the private sector improves availability and access to services of underserved populations. As momentum gathers towards SRH and UHC, the following actions are necessary and urgent. Advocacy for greater priority for SRH in government EPHS and health budgets aligned with SRH and UHC goals is needed. Implementation of stable and sustained financing mechanisms that would reduce the proportion of SRH-financing from OOPE is a priority. Evidence, moving from descriptive towards explanatory studies which provide insights into the "hows" and "whys" of processes and pathways are essential for guiding policy and programme actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- T. K. Sundari Ravindran
- Principal Visiting Fellow, United Nations University, International Institute for Global Health, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Veloshnee Govender
- Scientist, Department of Sexual and Reproductive Health and Research, World Health Organization, Geneva, Switzerland
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29
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Ramos Rosas E, Winkler V, Brenner S, De Allegri M. Identifying the determinants of health insurance coverage among Peruvian women of reproductive age: an assessment based on the national Peruvian demographic survey of 2017. Int J Equity Health 2020; 19:195. [PMID: 33143709 PMCID: PMC7607729 DOI: 10.1186/s12939-020-01310-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2020] [Accepted: 10/22/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Like many other Latin America- and Caribbean countries, Peru has introduced a tax-financed health insurance scheme called “Sistema Integral de Salud (SIS)” to foster progress towards Universal Health Coverage. The scheme explicitly targets the poorest sections of the population. Our study explores levels of health insurance coverage and their determinants among Peruvian women following the introduction of SIS. We wish to determine the extent to which the introduction of SIS has effectively closed gaps in insurance coverage and for whom. Methods Relying on the 2017 round of ENDES (Encuesta Nacional Demográfica y de Salud Familiar) survey, we analyzed data for 33,168 women aged 15–49. We used multinomial logistic regression to explore the association between health insurance coverage (defined as No Insurance, SIS, Standard Insurance) and women’s socio-demographic and economic characteristics. Results Out of the 33,168 women, 25.3% did not have any insurance coverage, 45.5% were covered by SIS and 29.2% were covered by a Standard Insurance scheme. Women in the SIS group were found to have lower educational levels, live in rural areas and more likely to be poorer. Women in the Standard insurance group were found to be more educated, more likely to be “Spanish”, and to be wealthier. Most uninsured women appeared to belong to a middle class, not poor enough to be eligible for SIS, but also not eligible for standard insurance. Conclusions Our study confirms that SIS has been effective in increasing coverage among vulnerable women, with coverage rates comparable with those observed among men. Nevertheless, on its own, it has proven to be insufficient to ensure universal coverage among women. Further reforms are needed to ensure that coverage is extended to all population groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eduardo Ramos Rosas
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health (HIGH), University Hospital and Medical Faculty, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 130.3, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany.
| | - Volker Winkler
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health (HIGH), University Hospital and Medical Faculty, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 130.3, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Stephan Brenner
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health (HIGH), University Hospital and Medical Faculty, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 130.3, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
| | - Manuela De Allegri
- Heidelberg Institute of Global Health (HIGH), University Hospital and Medical Faculty, Heidelberg University, Im Neuenheimer Feld 130.3, 69120, Heidelberg, Germany
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30
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Suchman L, Appleford G, Owino E, Seefeld CA. Bridging the gap with a gender lens: How two implementation research datasets were repurposed to inform health policy reform in Kenya. Health Policy Plan 2020; 35:ii66-ii73. [PMID: 33156938 PMCID: PMC7646722 DOI: 10.1093/heapol/czaa117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/03/2020] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Policies as they are written often mask the power relations behind their creation (Hull, 2008). As a result, not only are policies that appear neat on the page frequently messy in their implementation on the ground, but the messiness of implementation, and implementation science, often brings these hidden power relations to light. In this paper, we examine the process by which different data sources were generated within a programme meant to increase access to quality private healthcare for the poorest populations in Kenya, how these sources were brought and analyzed together to examine gender bias in the large-scale rollout of Kenya's National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) beyond public hospitals and civil service employees, and how these findings ultimately were developed in real time to feed into the NHIF reform process. We point to the ways in which data generated for implementation science purposes and without a specific focus on gender were analyzed with a policy implementation analysis lens to look at gender issues at the policy level, and pay particular attention to the role that the ongoing close partnership between the evaluators and implementers played in allowing the teams to develop and turn findings around on short timelines. In conclusion, we discuss possibilities for programme evaluators and implementers to generate new data and feed routine monitoring data into policy reform processes to create a health policy environment that serves patients more effectively and equitably. Implementation science is generally focused on programmatic improvement; the experiences in Kenya make clear that it can, and should, also be considered for policy improvement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lauren Suchman
- Evaluation Director, Institute for Global Health Sciences, University of California, San Francisco
| | | | | | - Charlotte Avery Seefeld
- Program Coordinator, Institute for Global Health Sciences, University of California, San Francisco
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31
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Hemida RA, van Doorn HC, Massuger LF. Collaboration Benefits All. JCO Glob Oncol 2020; 6:56-58. [PMID: 32031439 PMCID: PMC6998033 DOI: 10.1200/jgo.19.00237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Reda A. Hemida
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt
| | - Helena C. van Doorn
- Department of Gynaecologic Oncology, Erasmus MC Cancer Institute, University Medical Centre Rotterdam, Rotterdam, the Netherlands
| | - Leon F.A.G. Massuger
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Radboud University Medical Centre, Nijmegen, the Netherlands
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32
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Plouffe V, Bicaba F, Bicaba A, Druetz T. User fee policies and women's empowerment: a systematic scoping review. BMC Health Serv Res 2020; 20:982. [PMID: 33109172 PMCID: PMC7590470 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-020-05835-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2020] [Accepted: 10/20/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Over the past decade, an increasing number of low- and middle-income countries have reduced or removed user fees for pregnant women and/or children under five as a strategy to achieve universal health coverage. Despite the large number of studies (including meta-analyses and systematic reviews) that have shown this strategy's positive effects impact on health-related indicators, the repercussions on women's empowerment or gender equality has been overlooked in the literature. The aim of this study is to systematically review the evidence on the association between user fee policies in low- and middle-income countries and women's empowerment. METHODS A systematic scoping review was conducted. Two reviewers conducted the database search in six health-focused databases (Pubmed, CAB Abstracts, Embase, Medline, Global Health, EBM Reviews) using English key words. The database search was conducted on February 20, 2020, with no publication date limitation. Qualitative analysis of the included articles was conducted using a thematic analysis approach. The material was organized based on the Gender at Work analytical framework. RESULTS Out of the 206 initial records, nine articles were included in the review. The study settings include three low-income countries (Burkina Faso, Mali, Sierra Leone) and two lower-middle countries (Kenya, India). Four of them examine a direct association between user fee policies and women's empowerment, while the others address this issue indirectly -mostly by examining gender equality or women's decision-making in the context of free healthcare. The evidence suggests that user fee removal contributes to improving women's capability to make health decisions through different mechanisms, but that the impact is limited. In the context of free healthcare, women's healthcare decision-making power remains undermined because of social norms that are prevalent in the household, the community and the healthcare centers. In addition, women continue to endure limited access to and control over resources (mainly education, information and economic resources). CONCLUSION User fee removal policies alone are not enough to improve women's healthcare decision-making power. Comprehensive and multi-sectoral approaches are needed to bring sustainable change regarding women's empowerment. A focus on "gender equitable access to healthcare" is needed to reconcile women's empowerment and the efforts to achieve universal health coverage.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Frank Bicaba
- Société d'Études et de Recherches en Santé Publique (SERSAP), Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | - Abel Bicaba
- Société d'Études et de Recherches en Santé Publique (SERSAP), Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso
| | - Thomas Druetz
- University of Montreal School of Public Health, Montreal, Canada.
- Centre de Recherche en Santé Publique, Montreal, Canada.
- Center for Applied Malaria Research and Evaluation, Tulane University, New Orleans, USA.
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Vijayasingham L, Govender V, Witter S, Remme M. Employment based health financing does not support gender equity in universal health coverage. BMJ 2020; 371:m3384. [PMID: 33109510 PMCID: PMC7587231 DOI: 10.1136/bmj.m3384] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Abstract
Health financing and entitlement systems linked to employment can disadvantage women, argue Lavanya Vijayasingham and colleagues
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Affiliation(s)
- Lavanya Vijayasingham
- United Nations University International Institute for Global Health, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | | | - Sophie Witter
- Institute of Global Health and Development, Queen Margaret University, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Michelle Remme
- United Nations University International Institute for Global Health, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
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Folayan MO, Sam-Agudu NA, Adeniyi A, Oziegbe E, Chukwumah NM, Mapayi B. A proposed one-stop-shop approach for the delivery of integrated oral, mental, sexual and reproductive healthcare to adolescents in Nigeria. Pan Afr Med J 2020; 37:172. [PMID: 33447327 PMCID: PMC7778170 DOI: 10.11604/pamj.2020.37.172.22824] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/13/2020] [Accepted: 04/24/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
The interconnectedness of oral, mental, sexual, and reproductive health (OMSRH) in adolescents prompts exploration of novel approaches to facilitate comprehensive access of this population to the relevant health services. This paper proposes an integrated one-stop-shop approach to increasing adolescents' access to OMSRH care by leveraging on dental clinics as a template for integration, using a non-stigmatized platform to deliver stigmatized healthcare. Novel healthcare delivery models are needed to enhance adolescents' access to the comprehensive prevention and treatment services that they critically need. Effective, integrated health care for this population is lacking, especially across various health areas. This is a proposal for leveraging dental clinics for integrated OMSRH care, using facility-based services, to adolescents. Emphasis will be placed on reducing stigma as a barrier to service accessibility, acceptability, equitability and appropriateness. Empirical studies will be required to test the feasibility, validity and effectiveness of this proposed model.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Nadia Adjoa Sam-Agudu
- International Research Center of Excellence, Institute of Human Virology Nigeria, Abuja, Nigeria.,Division of Epidemiology and Prevention, Institute of Human Virology, University of Maryland School of Medicine, Baltimore, USA
| | - Abiola Adeniyi
- Faculty of Dentistry, Lagos State University College of Medicine, Lagos, Nigeria
| | - Elizabeth Oziegbe
- Department of Child Dental Health, Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospitals Complex, Ile-Ife, Nigeria
| | - Nneka Maureen Chukwumah
- Department of Preventive Dentistry, College of Medical Sciences, University of Benin, Benin City, Edo, Nigeria
| | - Boladale Mapayi
- Department of Mental Health, Obafemi Awolowo University, Ile-Ife, Osun State, Nigeria
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Wardhana MP, Gumilar KE, Rahmadhany P, Rosita Dewi E, Laksana MAC. INA-CBGs claim versus total hospital cost: A vaginal delivery investigation at Airlangga University Academic Hospital, Indonesia. J Public Health Res 2020; 9:1999. [PMID: 33409246 PMCID: PMC7771029 DOI: 10.4081/jphr.2020.1999] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 11/28/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Background: Inadequate funding for vaginal delivery can be one of the barriers to reducing the maternal mortality rate. It could be therefore critical to compare the vaginal delivery cost between total hospital cost and INA-CBGs cost in national health insurance. Methods: This was a retrospective cross-sectional study conducted from October to December 2019 in Universitas Airlangga Academic Hospital. It collected data on primary diagnosis, length of stay, total hospital cost, INA-CBGs cost, and counted disparity. The data analyzed statistically using t-test independent sample (or Mann-Whitney test). Results: A total of 149 vaginal delivery claims were found, with the majority having a level II severity (79.87%) and moderate preeclampsia as a primary diagnosis (20.1%). There was a significant disparity in higher total hospital costs compared with government INA-CBGs costs (Rp. 9,238,022.09±1,265,801.88 vs 1,881,521.48±12,830.15; p<0.001). There was also an increase of LOS (p<0.001), total hospital cost (p<0.001), and cost disparity (p<0.01) in a higher severity level of vaginal delivery. Conclusion: Vaginal delivery costs in INA-CBGs scheme are underneath the actuarial value. There was also an increase in total hospital costs and a more significant disparity in the higher severity levels of vaginal delivery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manggala Pasca Wardhana
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga, Soetomo Teaching Hospital, Surabaya.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Universitas Airlangga Academic Hospital, Surabaya
| | - Khanisyah Erza Gumilar
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga, Soetomo Teaching Hospital, Surabaya.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Universitas Airlangga Academic Hospital, Surabaya
| | - Prima Rahmadhany
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Universitas Airlangga Academic Hospital, Surabaya
| | - Erni Rosita Dewi
- School of Midwifery, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga, Surabaya, Indonesia
| | - Muhammad Ardian Cahya Laksana
- Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Airlangga, Soetomo Teaching Hospital, Surabaya.,Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Universitas Airlangga Academic Hospital, Surabaya
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Gupta N, Ayles HM. The evidence gap on gendered impacts of performance-based financing among family physicians for chronic disease care: a systematic review reanalysis in contexts of single-payer universal coverage. HUMAN RESOURCES FOR HEALTH 2020; 18:69. [PMID: 32962707 PMCID: PMC7507591 DOI: 10.1186/s12960-020-00512-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2020] [Accepted: 09/09/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Although pay-for-performance (P4P) among primary care physicians for enhanced chronic disease management is increasingly common, the evidence base is fragmented in terms of socially equitable impacts in achieving the quadruple aim for healthcare improvement: better population health, reduced healthcare costs, and enhanced patient and provider experiences. This study aimed to assess the literature from a systematic review on how P4P for diabetes services impacts on gender equity in patient outcomes and the physician workforce. METHODS A gender-based analysis was performed of studies retrieved through a systematic search of 10 abstract and citation databases plus grey literature sources for P4P impact assessments in multiple languages over the period January 2000 to April 2018, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The study was restricted to single-payer national health systems to minimize the risk of physicians sorting out of health organizations with a strong performance pay component. Two reviewers scored and synthesized the integration of sex and gender in assessing patient- and provider-oriented outcomes as well as the quality of the evidence. FINDINGS Of the 2218 identified records, 39 studies covering eight P4P interventions in seven countries were included for analysis. Most (79%) of the studies reported having considered sex/gender in the design, but only 28% presented sex-disaggregated patient data in the results of the P4P assessment models, and none (0%) assessed the interaction of patients' sex with the policy intervention. Few (15%) of the studies controlled for the provider's sex, and none (0%) discussed impacts of P4P on the work life of providers from a gender perspective (e.g., pay equity). CONCLUSIONS There is a dearth of evidence on gender-based outcomes of publicly funded incentivizing physician payment schemes for chronic disease care. As the popularity of P4P to achieve health system goals continues to grow, so does the risk of unintended consequences. There is a critical need for research integrating gender concerns to help inform performance-based health workforce financing policy options in the era of the Sustainable Development Goals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Neeru Gupta
- Department of Sociology, University of New Brunswick, PO Box 4400, 9 Macaulay Lane, Fredericton, New Brunswick, E3B 5A3, Canada.
| | - Holly M Ayles
- Faculty of Management, University of New Brunswick, PO Box 4400, 7 Macaulay Lane, Fredericton, New Brunswick, E3B 5A3, Canada
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Otieno PO, Wambiya EOA, Mohamed SM, Mutua MK, Kibe PM, Mwangi B, Donfouet HPP. Access to primary healthcare services and associated factors in urban slums in Nairobi-Kenya. BMC Public Health 2020; 20:981. [PMID: 32571277 PMCID: PMC7310125 DOI: 10.1186/s12889-020-09106-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2019] [Accepted: 06/12/2020] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Background Access to primary healthcare is crucial for the delivery of Kenya’s universal health coverage policy. However, disparities in healthcare have proved to be the biggest challenge for implementing primary care in poor-urban resource settings. In this study, we assessed the level of access to primary healthcare services and associated factors in urban slums in Nairobi-Kenya. Methods The data were drawn from the Lown scholars’ study of 300 randomly selected households in Viwandani slums (Nairobi, Kenya), between June and July 2018. Access to primary care was measured using Penchansky and Thomas’ model. Access index was constructed using principal component analysis and recorded into tertiles with categories labeled as poor, moderate, and highest. Generalized ordinal logistic regression analysis was used to determine the factors associated with access to primary care. The adjusted odds ratios (AOR) and 95% confidence intervals were used to interpret the strength of associations. Results The odds of being in the highest access tertile versus the combined categories of lowest and moderate access tertile were three times higher for males than female-headed households (AOR 3.05 [95% CI 1.47–6.37]; p < .05). Households with an average quarterly out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure of ≥USD 30 had significantly lower odds of being in the highest versus combined categories of lowest and moderate access tertile compared to those spending ≤ USD 5 (AOR 0.36 [95% CI 0.18–0.74]; p < .05). Households that sought primary care from private facilities had significantly higher odds of being in the highest versus combined categories of lowest and moderate access tertiles compared to those who sought care from public facilities (AOR 6.64 [95% CI 3.67–12.01]; p < .001). Conclusion In Nairobi slums in Kenya, living in a female-headed household, seeking care from a public facility, and paying out-of-pocket for healthcare are significantly associated with low access to primary care. Therefore, the design of the UHC program in this setting should prioritize quality improvement in public health facilities and focus on policies that encourage economic empowerment of female-headed households to improve access to primary healthcare.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter O Otieno
- African Population and Health Research Center, APHRC Campus, 2nd Floor, Manga Close, Off Kirawa Road, P.O. Box: 10787-00100, Nairobi, Kenya.
| | - Elvis O A Wambiya
- African Population and Health Research Center, APHRC Campus, 2nd Floor, Manga Close, Off Kirawa Road, P.O. Box: 10787-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Shukri M Mohamed
- African Population and Health Research Center, APHRC Campus, 2nd Floor, Manga Close, Off Kirawa Road, P.O. Box: 10787-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Martin Kavao Mutua
- African Population and Health Research Center, APHRC Campus, 2nd Floor, Manga Close, Off Kirawa Road, P.O. Box: 10787-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Peter M Kibe
- African Population and Health Research Center, APHRC Campus, 2nd Floor, Manga Close, Off Kirawa Road, P.O. Box: 10787-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Bonventure Mwangi
- African Population and Health Research Center, APHRC Campus, 2nd Floor, Manga Close, Off Kirawa Road, P.O. Box: 10787-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Hermann Pythagore Pierre Donfouet
- African Population and Health Research Center, APHRC Campus, 2nd Floor, Manga Close, Off Kirawa Road, P.O. Box: 10787-00100, Nairobi, Kenya
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Remme M, Vassall A, Fernando G, Bloom DE. Investing in the health of girls and women: a best buy for sustainable development. BMJ 2020; 369:m1175. [PMID: 32487585 PMCID: PMC7265042 DOI: 10.1136/bmj.m1175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Human rights, theory, evidence, and common sense all suggest that greater investment in women’s health could be among the “best buys” for broader economic development and societal wellbeing, say Michelle Remme and colleagues
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle Remme
- United Nations University International Institute for Global Health, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - Anna Vassall
- London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Gabriela Fernando
- United Nations University International Institute for Global Health, Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
| | - David E Bloom
- Harvard TH Chan School of Public Health, Harvard University, Boston, USA
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Lv H, Gu J, Yuan X, Miao Y. Prioritizing the perceived equity of the residents to construct an equitable health care system: evidence from a national cross-sectional study in China. BMC Health Serv Res 2020; 20:167. [PMID: 32131823 PMCID: PMC7057475 DOI: 10.1186/s12913-020-5026-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/25/2019] [Accepted: 02/24/2020] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Building an equitable health care system involves both the promotion of social justice in health and people's subjective perception of the promotion. This study aimed to analyze the overall status and associated factors of the perceived equity of the Chinese health care system, and then to offer policy recommendations for health care reform. METHODS Information on the perceived equity score (scale 0 to 10) of 10,243 valid cases in total were derived from the data set of Chinese Social Survey 2015. Univariate analysis methods were applied to present respondents' overall perceived equity of the Chinese health care system. Multivariate linear regression method was used to explore the associated factors of the perceived equity and examine their independent effect. RESULTS The respondents gave positive but relatively low marks (6.7 ± 2.6, 95% CI: = 6.64~6.74) of the equity of the Chinese health care system. Younger respondents reported a higher score of perceived equity than their elder counterparts (β = - 0.132, 95% CI: - 0.203~ - 0.062, P < 0.001). Respondents with lower education level were significantly more likely to consider the Chinese health care system equitable (β = - 0.104, 95% CI: - 0.153~ - 0.056, P < 0.001). Respondents satisfied with the Social Health Insurance reimbursement ratio tended to score the system higher in the survey (β = 0.044, 95% CI: 0.024~0.063, P < 0.001). Respondents residing in eastern China and rural areas were significantly more likely to consider the Chinese health care system equitable (β = - 0.268, 95% CI: - 0.338~ - 0.199, P < 0.001). Meanwhile, rural respondents reported higher scores of the perceived equity than urban respondents did (β = 0.348, 95% CI: 0.237~0.458, P < 0.001). Respondents from regions with adequate GPs scored the system higher in this survey (β = 0.087, 95% CI: 0.008~0.165, P < 0.001). The present study found no influence of gender, economic status, Social Health Insurance coverage, or satisfaction with the latest treatment on perceived equity. CONCLUSIONS Eliminating the sense of inequity among a range of populations should be prioritized in health care reform. A national-level investigation system to rate residents' perceived equity was necessary for global health care reform.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hui Lv
- Management Institute of Xinxiang Medical University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Jianqin Gu
- Department of General Medicine, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Clinical Medicine, Henan University, Zhengzhou, China
| | - Xiangdong Yuan
- Department of General Surgery of Guangdong General Hospital, Guangzhou, China
| | - Yudong Miao
- Department of General Medicine, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, School of Clinical Medicine, Henan University, Zhengzhou, China. .,Department of General Medicine, Henan Provincial People's Hospital, People's Hospital of Zhengzhou University, 7 Weiwu Road, Zhengzhou, 450003, Henan Province, China.
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Martinez-Alvarez M, Federspiel F, Singh NS, Schäferhoff M, Lewis Sabin M, Onoka C, Mounier-Jack S, Borghi J, Pitt C. Equity of resource flows for reproductive, maternal, newborn, and child health: are those most in need being left behind? BMJ 2020; 368:m305. [PMID: 32015053 PMCID: PMC7461904 DOI: 10.1136/bmj.m305] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Although equity has improved in recent years, donors and country governments still need to improve the amount and targeting of funding for reproductive, maternal, and child health, say Melisa Martinez-Alvarez and colleagues
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Affiliation(s)
- Melisa Martinez-Alvarez
- MRC Unit in The Gambia at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, TheGambia
- Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London UK
| | - Frederik Federspiel
- Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London UK
| | - Neha S Singh
- Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London UK
| | | | | | - Chima Onoka
- Department of Community Medicine, College of Medicine, University of Nigeria, Enugu, Nigeria
| | - Sandra Mounier-Jack
- Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London UK
| | - Josephine Borghi
- Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London UK
| | - Catherine Pitt
- Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, London UK
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Abstract
In the global South, low-income populations are faced with frequent health shocks. Formal mechanisms to protect them against these shocks are absent or limited. Thus, what are the mechanisms used by low-income rural populations to finance healthcare? This paper draws on a qualitative study to examine the healthcare financing mechanisms of low-income rural populations in Cameroon. The findings suggest that low-income populations use 13 mechanisms to finance healthcare. Depending on several factors, people may use more than one of these mechanisms. In addition, social factors shape people’s patterns of usage of these mechanisms. Patterns of usage of these mechanisms are embedded in the principle of reciprocity. The notion of reciprocity does seem to discourage people from enrolling in the limited voluntary health insurance programmes which exist in various communities. Newly insured people were more likely to drop out if they did not receive a payout.
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Iversen K, Girard F, Dhatt R, van Daalen K, Keeling A, Pley C. Women's rights will drive universal health coverage. Lancet 2019; 394:1005. [PMID: 31544740 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(19)31815-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/10/2019] [Accepted: 06/26/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Roopa Dhatt
- Women in Global Health, Fremont, CA 94544, USA
| | | | - Ann Keeling
- Women in Global Health, Fremont, CA 94544, USA
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Kuepfer I, Mishra N, Bruce J, Mishra V, Anvikar AR, Satpathi S, Behera P, Muehlenbachs A, Webster J, terKuile F, Greenwood B, Valecha N, Chandramohan D. Effectiveness of intermittent screening and treatment for the control of malaria in pregnancy: a cluster randomised trial in India. BMJ Glob Health 2019; 4:e001399. [PMID: 31406586 PMCID: PMC6666812 DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2019-001399] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2019] [Revised: 05/16/2019] [Accepted: 05/25/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The control of malaria in pregnancy (MiP) in India relies on testing women who present with symptoms or signs suggestive of malaria. We hypothesised that intermittent screening and treatment for malaria at each antenatal care visit (ISTp) would improve on this approach and reduce the adverse effects of MiP. Methods A cluster randomised controlled trial comparing ISTp versus passive case detection (PCD) was conducted in Jharkhand state. Pregnant women of all parities with a gestational age of 18–28 weeks were enrolled. Women in the ISTp group were screened with a rapid diagnostic test (RDT) for malaria at each antenatal clinic visit and those in the PCD group were screened only if they had symptoms or signs suggestive of malaria. All RDT positive women were treated with artesunate/sulfadoxine–pyrimethamine. The primary endpoint was placental malaria, determined by placental histology, and the key secondary endpoints were birth weight, gestational age, vital status of the newborn baby and maternal anaemia. Results Between April 2012 and September 2015, 6868 women were enrolled; 3300 in 46 ISTp clusters and 3568 in 41 PCD clusters. In the ISTp arm, 4.9% of women were tested malaria positive and 0.6% in the PCD arm. There was no difference in the prevalence of placental malaria in the ISTp (87/1454, 6.0%) and PCD (65/1560, 4.2%) groups (6.0% vs 4.2%; OR 1.34, 95% CI 0.78 to 2.29, p=0.29) or in any of the secondary endpoints. Conclusion ISTp detected more infections than PCD, but monthly ISTp with the current generation of RDT is unlikely to reduce placental malaria or impact on pregnancy outcomes. ISTp trials with more sensitive point-of-care diagnostic tests are needed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene Kuepfer
- Department of Disease Control, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London, UK
| | - Neelima Mishra
- National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India
| | - Jane Bruce
- Department of Disease Control, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London, UK
| | - Vinit Mishra
- National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India
| | | | | | - Prativa Behera
- Department of Pathology, Ispat General Hospital, Rourkela, India
| | - Atis Muehlenbachs
- Office of Infectious Diseases, National Foundation for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Inc, Atlanta, Georgia, USA
| | - Jayne Webster
- Department of Disease Control, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London, UK
| | - Feiko terKuile
- Department of Clinical Sciences, Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, Liverpool, UK
| | - Brian Greenwood
- Department of Disease Control, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London, UK
| | - Neena Valecha
- National Institute of Malaria Research, New Delhi, India
| | - Daniel Chandramohan
- Department of Disease Control, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine Faculty of Infectious and Tropical Diseases, London, UK
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Cowgill KD, Ntambue AM. Hospital detention of mothers and their infants at a large provincial hospital: a mixed-methods descriptive case study, Lubumbashi, Democratic Republic of the Congo. Reprod Health 2019; 16:111. [PMID: 31331396 PMCID: PMC6647063 DOI: 10.1186/s12978-019-0777-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2018] [Accepted: 07/11/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Background The practice of detaining people who are unable to pay for health care services they have received is widespread in many parts of the world. We aimed to determine the proportion of women and their infants detained for inability to pay for services received at a provincial hospital in the Democratic Republic of the Congo during a 6-week period in 2016. A secondary objective was to determine clinical and administrative staff attitudes and practices about payment for services and detention. Methods This mixed-methods descriptive case study included a cross-sectional survey and interviews with key informants. Results Over half (52%) of the 85 women who were in the maternity ward at Sendwe Hospital and eligible for discharge between August 5 and September 15, 2016 were detained for 1 to 30 days for outstanding bills of United States dollars (USD) 21 to USD 515. Women who were detained were younger, poorer, and had more obstetric complications and caesarean sections than other women. In addition, over one quarter of the infants born to these women had died during delivery or in the first three days of life. Key informant interviews normalized detention as an unfortunate but inevitable consequence of patient poverty and health system resource constraints. Conclusions Detention of women and their infants is common at this hospital in the DRC. This represents a violation of human rights and a systemic failure to ensure that all people have access to essential health services and that they not suffer financial hardship due to the price of those services.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karen D Cowgill
- School of Interdisciplinary Arts and Sciences, University of Washington Tacoma, Tacoma, USA. .,Department of Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, USA.
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Cole MS, Boydell V, Hardee K, Bellows B. The Extent to Which Performance-Based Financing Programs' Operations Manuals Reflect Rights-Based Principles: Implications for Family Planning Services. GLOBAL HEALTH: SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 2019; 7:329-339. [PMID: 31249026 PMCID: PMC6641818 DOI: 10.9745/ghsp-d-19-00007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2018] [Accepted: 05/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Rights principles should be prioritized and more clearly stated in performance-based financing (PBF) guidance and operational documents. Additional research, including development of validated measurement metrics, is needed to help PBF programs systematically align with rights-based approaches to health care including family planning. Recognition is growing that development programs need to be guided by rights as well as to promote, protect, and fulfill them. Drawing from a content analysis of performance-based financing (PBF) implementation manuals, we quantify the extent to which these manuals use a rights perspective to frame family planning services. PBF is an adaptable service purchasing strategy that aims to improve equity and quality of health service provision. PBF can contribute toward achieving global family planning goals and has institutional support from multiple development partners including the Global Financing Facility in support of Every Woman Every Child. A review of 23 PBF implementation manuals finds that all documents are focused largely on the implementation of quality and accountability mechanisms, but few address issues of accessibility, availability, informed choice, acceptability, and/or nondiscrimination and equity. Notably, operational inclusion of agency, autonomy, empowerment, and/or voluntarism of health care clients is absent. Based on these findings, we argue that current PBF programs incorporate some mention of rights but are not systematically aligned with a rights-based approach. If PBF programs better reflected the importance of client-centered, rights-based programming, program performance could be improved and risk of infringing rights could be reduced. Given the mixed evidence for PBF benefits and the risk of perverse incentives in earlier PBF programs that were not aligned with rights-based approaches, we argue that greater attention to the rights principles of acceptability, accessibility, availability, and quality; accountability; agency and empowerment; equity and nondiscrimination; informed choice and decision making; participation; and privacy and confidentiality would improve health service delivery and health system performance for all stakeholders with clients at the center. Based on this review, we recommend making the rights-based approach explicit in PBF; progressively operationalizing rights, drawing from local experience; validating rights-based metrics to address measurement gaps; and recognizing the economic value of aligning PBF with rights principles. Such recommendations anchor an aspirational rights agenda with a practical PBF strategy on the need and opportunity for validated metrics.
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Gupta GR, Oomman N, Grown C, Conn K, Hawkes S, Shawar YR, Shiffman J, Buse K, Mehra R, Bah CA, Heise L, Greene ME, Weber AM, Heymann J, Hay K, Raj A, Henry S, Klugman J, Darmstadt GL. Gender equality and gender norms: framing the opportunities for health. Lancet 2019; 393:2550-2562. [PMID: 31155276 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(19)30651-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 125] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2018] [Revised: 02/28/2019] [Accepted: 03/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The Sustainable Development Goals offer the global health community a strategic opportunity to promote human rights, advance gender equality, and achieve health for all. The inability of the health sector to accelerate progress on a range of health outcomes brings into sharp focus the substantial impact of gender inequalities and restrictive gender norms on health risks and behaviours. In this paper, the fifth in a Series on gender equality, norms, and health, we draw on evidence to dispel three myths on gender and health and describe persistent barriers to progress. We propose an agenda for action to reduce gender inequality and shift gender norms for improved health outcomes, calling on leaders in national governments, global health institutions, civil society organisations, academic settings, and the corporate sector to focus on health outcomes and engage actors across sectors to achieve them; reform the workplace and workforce to be more gender-equitable; fill gaps in data and eliminate gender bias in research; fund civil-society actors and social movements; and strengthen accountability mechanisms.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | - Sarah Hawkes
- University College London, Centre for Gender and Global Health, London, UK
| | - Yusra Ribhi Shawar
- Bloomberg School of Public Health and Paul H Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Jeremy Shiffman
- Bloomberg School of Public Health and Paul H Nitze School of Advanced International Studies, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | - Rekha Mehra
- Independent Consultant, Economist and Gender Specialist, Washington, DC, USA
| | | | - Lori Heise
- Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health and School of Nursing, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | | | - Ann M Weber
- Department of Pediatrics and the Center for Population Health Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Jody Heymann
- Fielding School of Public Health, University of California Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - Anita Raj
- Department of Medicine, Center on Gender Equity and Health University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - Sarah Henry
- Department of Pediatrics and the Center for Population Health Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Jeni Klugman
- Women and Public Policy Program, Harvard Kennedy School, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Gary L Darmstadt
- Department of Pediatrics and the Center for Population Health Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, USA
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47
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Heise L, Greene ME, Opper N, Stavropoulou M, Harper C, Nascimento M, Zewdie D. Gender inequality and restrictive gender norms: framing the challenges to health. Lancet 2019; 393:2440-2454. [PMID: 31155275 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(19)30652-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 463] [Impact Index Per Article: 92.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2018] [Revised: 03/01/2019] [Accepted: 03/06/2019] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
Gender is not accurately captured by the traditional male and female dichotomy of sex. Instead, it is a complex social system that structures the life experience of all human beings. This paper, the first in a Series of five papers, investigates the relationships between gender inequality, restrictive gender norms, and health and wellbeing. Building upon past work, we offer a consolidated conceptual framework that shows how individuals born biologically male or female develop into gendered beings, and how sexism and patriarchy intersect with other forms of discrimination, such as racism, classism, and homophobia, to structure pathways to poor health. We discuss the ample evidence showing the far-reaching consequences of these pathways, including how gender inequality and restrictive gender norms impact health through differential exposures, health-related behaviours and access to care, as well as how gender-biased health research and health-care systems reinforce and reproduce gender inequalities, with serious implications for health. The cumulative consequences of structured disadvantage, mediated through discriminatory laws, policies, and institutions, as well as diet, stress, substance use, and environmental toxins, have triggered important discussions about the role of social injustice in the creation and maintenance of health inequities, especially along racial and socioeconomic lines. This Series paper raises the parallel question of whether discrimination based on gender likewise becomes embodied, with negative consequences for health. For decades, advocates have worked to eliminate gender discrimination in global health, with only modest success. A new plan and new political commitment are needed if these global health aspirations and the wider Sustainable Development Goals of the UN are to be achieved.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lori Heise
- Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD, USA.
| | | | - Neisha Opper
- Department of Population, Family and Reproductive Health, Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins School of Nursing, Baltimore, MD, USA
| | - Maria Stavropoulou
- Programme on Gender Equality and Social Inclusion, Overseas Development Institute, London, UK
| | - Caroline Harper
- Programme on Gender Equality and Social Inclusion, Overseas Development Institute, London, UK
| | - Marcos Nascimento
- Programa de Posgraduação em Saúde da Criança e da Mulher, Instituto Fernandes Figueira-Fiocruz, Rio de Janeiro, RJ, Brazil
| | - Debrework Zewdie
- School of Public Health and Health Policy, City University of New York, New York, NY, USA
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48
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Amoah PA, Phillips DR. Socio-demographic and behavioral correlates of health literacy: a gender perspective in Ghana. Women Health 2019; 60:123-139. [PMID: 31092133 DOI: 10.1080/03630242.2019.1613471] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
Abstract
Relatively little research has been conducted on the place of health literacy (HL) as an essential mechanism to achieve the Sustainable Development Goal for gender equality (SDG 5) or to enhance its role in SDG 3, good health and well-being, particularly in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). The present analyses examined the role of socio-economic, health and behavioral factors associated with HL among men and women in the Ashanti Region of Ghana using a cross-sectional design and data collected from 779 rural and urban residents from June 2015 to October 2015. HL was higher among men. In multivariate logistic regression analyses, income and education were positively associated with HL for both men and women. Ethnicity showed a positive relationship with HL among men, while religious affiliation was associated with HL of overall population. Smoking was negatively associated with HL among men. Among women, self-reported health was positively associated with HL but having health insurance was inversely related. These gender differences may be due to dominant male gender roles and differing expectations and opportunities for socio-economic advancement for men and women. An inter-disciplinary approach is suggested for understanding and improving HL in both genders and especially in women, given their current low HL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Padmore Adusei Amoah
- Division of Graduate Studies, Asia Pacific Institute of Ageing Studies, Centre for Social Policy and Social Change, Lingnan University, Tuen Mun, Hong Kong (SAR)
| | - David R Phillips
- Department of Sociology and Social Policy, Lingnan University, Tuen Mun, Hong Kong
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Shannon G, Jansen M, Williams K, Cáceres C, Motta A, Odhiambo A, Eleveld A, Mannell J. Gender equality in science, medicine, and global health: where are we at and why does it matter? Lancet 2019; 393:560-569. [PMID: 30739691 DOI: 10.1016/s0140-6736(18)33135-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 231] [Impact Index Per Article: 46.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/17/2018] [Revised: 11/26/2018] [Accepted: 12/03/2018] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The purpose of this Review is to provide evidence for why gender equality in science, medicine, and global health matters for health and health-related outcomes. We present a high-level synthesis of global gender data, summarise progress towards gender equality in science, medicine, and global health, review the evidence for why gender equality in these fields matters in terms of health and social outcomes, and reflect on strategies to promote change. Notwithstanding the evolving landscape of global gender data, the overall pattern of gender equality for women in science, medicine, and global health is one of mixed gains and persistent challenges. Gender equality in science, medicine, and global health has the potential to lead to substantial health, social, and economic gains. Positioned within an evolving landscape of gender activism and evidence, our Review highlights missed and future opportunities, as well as the need to draw upon contemporary social movements to advance the field.
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Affiliation(s)
- Geordan Shannon
- Centre for Gender and Global Health, Institute for Global Health, University College London, London, UK.
| | - Melanie Jansen
- Paediatric Intensive Care Unit and Centre for Children's Health Ethics and Law, Children's Health Queensland, Brisbane, QLD, Australia
| | | | - Carlos Cáceres
- Centro de Investigación Interdisciplinaria en Sexualidad, Sida y Sociedad, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | - Angelica Motta
- Centro de Investigación Interdisciplinaria en Sexualidad, Sida y Sociedad, Universidad Peruana Cayetano Heredia, Lima, Peru
| | | | | | - Jenevieve Mannell
- Centre for Gender and Global Health, Institute for Global Health, University College London, London, UK
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50
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Hernández-Yumar A, Wemrell M, Abásolo Alessón I, González López-Valcárcel B, Leckie G, Merlo J. Socioeconomic differences in body mass index in Spain: An intersectional multilevel analysis of individual heterogeneity and discriminatory accuracy. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0208624. [PMID: 30532244 PMCID: PMC6287827 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0208624] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2018] [Accepted: 11/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Many studies have demonstrated the existence of simple, unidimensional socioeconomic gradients in body mass index (BMI). However, in the present paper we move beyond such traditional analyses by simultaneously considering multiple demographic and socioeconomic dimensions. Using the Spanish National Health Survey 2011–2012, we apply intersectionality theory and multilevel analysis of individual heterogeneity and discriminatory accuracy (MAIHDA) to analyze 14,190 adults nested within 108 intersectional strata defined by combining categories of gender, age, income, educational achievement and living situation. We develop two multilevel models to obtain information on stratum-specific BMI averages and the degree of clustering of BMI within strata expressed by the intra-class correlation coefficient (ICC). The first model is a simple variance components analysis that provides a detailed mapping of the BMI disparities in the population and measures the accuracy of stratum membership to predict individual BMI. The second model includes the variables used to define the intersectional strata as a way to identify stratum-specific interactions. The first model suggests moderate but meaningful clustering of individual BMI within the intersectional strata (ICC = 12.4%). Compared with the population average (BMI = 26.07 Kg/m2), the stratum of cohabiting 18-35-year-old females with medium income and high education presents the lowest BMI (-3.7 Kg/m2), while cohabiting 36-64-year-old females with low income and low education show the highest BMI (+2.6 Kg/m2). In the second model, the ICC falls to 1.9%, suggesting the existence of only very small stratum specific interaction effects. We confirm the existence of a socioeconomic gradient in BMI. Compared with traditional analyses, the intersectional MAIHDA approach provides a better mapping of socioeconomic and demographic inequalities in BMI. Because of the moderate clustering, public health policies aiming to reduce BMI in Spain should not solely focus on the intersectional strata with the highest BMI, but should also consider whole population polices.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aránzazu Hernández-Yumar
- Departamento de Economía Aplicada y Métodos Cuantitativos, Facultad de Economía, Empresa y Turismo, Universidad de La Laguna (ULL), San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, España
- Unit for Social Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
- * E-mail:
| | - Maria Wemrell
- Unit for Social Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
- Department of Gender Studies, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Ignacio Abásolo Alessón
- Departamento de Economía Aplicada y Métodos Cuantitativos, Facultad de Economía, Empresa y Turismo, Universidad de La Laguna (ULL), San Cristóbal de La Laguna, Santa Cruz de Tenerife, España
| | - Beatriz González López-Valcárcel
- Departamento de Métodos Cuantitativos en Economía y Gestión, Universidad de Las Palmas de Gran Canaria (ULPGC), Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, España
| | - George Leckie
- Unit for Social Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
- Centre for Multilevel Modelling, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
| | - Juan Merlo
- Unit for Social Epidemiology, Faculty of Medicine, Lund University, Malmö, Sweden
- Centre for Primary Health Care Research, Region Skåne, Malmö, Sweden
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