The Cost and Cost-Effectiveness of an Integrated Wasting Prevention and Screening Intervention Package in Burkina Faso and Mali.

BACKGROUND: Little is known about costs and cost effectiveness of interventions that integrate wasting prevention into screening for child wasting. OBJECTIVES: This study's objective was to estimate the cost and cost-effectiveness of an intervention that integrated behavior change communication (BCC) and small-quantity lipid-based nutrient supplements (SQ-LNS) into platforms for wasting screening in Burkina Faso (a facility-based platform, where BCC was enhanced compared with standard care) and Mali (a community-based platform, with standard BCC). METHODS: Activity-based costing was used to estimate the cost per child-contact for the intervention and the comparison group, which did not receive the intervention. Costs were ascertained from accounting records, interviews, surveys, and observations. The number of child-contacts was calculated using population size estimates and average attendance rates for each service. Costs per disability-adjusted life year (DALY) averted were estimated using a Markov model populated with data from the parent trials on impact of wasting incidence and treatment coverage. RESULTS: In the intervention group in Burkina Faso, the cost per child-contact of facility-based screening was $0.85 of enhanced BCC was $4.28, and of SQ-LNS was $8.86. In Mali, the cost per child-contact of community-based screening was $0.57, standard BCC was $0.72, and SQ-LNS was $4.14. Although no SQ-LNS costs were incurred in the comparison groups (hence lower total costs), costs per child-contact for screening and BCC were higher because coverage of these services was lower. The intervention package cost $1073 per DALY averted in Burkina Faso and $747 in Mali. CONCLUSIONS: Integration of wasting prevention into screening for child wasting led to higher total costs but lower unit costs than standard screening due to increased coverage. Greater cost-effectiveness could be achieved if BCC were strengthened and led to improved caregiver health and nutrition practices and if screening triggered appropriate use of services and higher treatment coverage.

Inter-district and Wealth-related Inequalities in Maternal and Child Health Service Coverage and Child Mortality within Addis Ababa City.

In sub-Saharan Africa, urban areas generally have better access to and use of maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) services than rural areas, but previous research indicates that there are significant intra-urban disparities. This study aims to investigate temporal trends and geographic differences in maternal, newborn, and child health service utilization between Addis Ababa's poorest and richest districts and households. A World Bank district-based poverty index was used to classify districts into the top 60% (non-poor) and bottom 40% (poor), and wealth index data from the Ethiopian Demographic and Health Survey (EDHS) was used to classify households into the top 60% (non-poor) and bottom 40% (poor). Essential maternal, newborn, and child health service coverage was estimated from routine health facility data for 2019-2021, and five rounds of the EDHS (2000-2019) were used to estimate child mortality. The results showed that service coverage was substantially higher in the top 60% than in the bottom 40% of districts. Coverage of four antenatal care visits, skill birth attendance, and postnatal care all exceeded 90% in the non-poor districts but only ranged from 54 to 67% in the poor districts. Inter-district inequalities were less pronounced for childhood vaccinations, with over 90% coverage levels across all districts. Inter-district inequalities in mortality rates were considerable. The neonatal mortality rate was nearly twice as high in the bottom 40% of households' as in the top 60% of households. Similarly, the under-5 mortality rate was three times higher in the bottom 40% compared to the top 60% of households. The substantial inequalities in MNCH service utilization and child mortality in Addis Ababa highlight the need for greater focus on the city's women and children living in the poorest households and districts in maternal, newborn, and child health programs.

Understanding the role of the Tanzania national health insurance fund in improving service coverage and quality of care.

Health insurance is one of the main financing mechanisms currently being used in low and middle-income countries to improve access to quality services. Tanzania has been running its National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF) since 2001 and has recently undergone significant reforms. However, there is limited attention to the causal mechanisms through which NHIF improves service coverage and quality of care. This paper aims to use a system dynamics (qualitative) approach to understand NHIF causal pathways and feedback loops for improving service coverage and quality of care at the primary healthcare level in Tanzania. We used qualitative interviews with 32 stakeholders from national, regional, district, and health facility levels conducted between May to July 2021. Based on the main findings and themes generated from the interviews, causal mechanisms, and feedback loops were created. The majority of feedback loops in the CLDs were reinforcing cycles for improving service coverage among beneficiaries and the quality of care by providers, with different external factors affecting these two actions. Our main feedback loop shows that the NHIF plays a crucial role in providing additional financial resources to facilities to purchase essential medical commodities to deliver care. However, this cycle is often interrupted by reimbursement delays. Additionally, beneficiaries' perception that lower-level facilities have poorer quality of care has reinforced care seeking at higher-levels. This has decreased lower level facilities' ability to benefit from the insurance and improve their capacity to deliver quality care. Another key finding was that the NHIF funding has resulted in better services for insured populations compared to the uninsured. To increase quality of care, the NHIF may benefit from improving its reimbursement administrative processes, increasing the capacity of lower levels of care to benefit from the insurance and appropriately incentivizing providers for continuity of care.

Equity trends for the UHC service coverage sub-index for reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health in Pakistan: evidence from demographic health surveys.

BACKGROUND: Pakistan, the world's sixth most populous country and the second largest in South Asia, is facing challenges related to reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health (RMNCH) that are exacerbated by various inequities. RMNCH coverage indicators such as antenatal care (ANC) and deliveries at health facilities have been improving over time, and the maternal mortality ratio (MMR) is gradually declining but not at the desired rates. Analysing and documenting inequities with reference to key characteristics are useful to unmask the disparities and to amicably implement targeted equity-oriented interventions. METHODS: Pakistan Demographic Health Survey (PDHS) based UHC service coverage tracer indicators were derived for the RMNCH domain at the national and subnational levels for the two rounds of the PDHS in 2012 and 2017. These derivations were subgrouped into wealth quintiles, place of residence, education and mothers' age. Dumbbell charts were created to show the trends and quintile-specific coverage. The UHC service coverage sub-index for RMNCH was constructed to measure the absolute and relative parity indices, such as high to low absolute difference and high to low ratios, to quantify health inequities. The population attributable risk was computed to determine the overall population health improvement that is possible if all regions have the same level of health services as the reference point (national level) across the equity domains. RESULTS: The results indicate an overall improvement in coverage across all indicators over time, but with a higher concentration of data points towards higher coverage among the wealthiest groups, although the poorest quintile continues to have low coverage in all regions. The UHC service coverage sub-index on RMNCH shows that Pakistan has improved from 45 to 63 overall, while Punjab improved from 50 to 59 and Sindh from 43 to 55. The highest improvement is evident in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) province, which has increased from 31 in 2012 to 51 in 2017. All regions made slow progress in narrowing the gap between the poorest and wealthiest groups, with particularly noteworthy improvements in KP and Sindh, as indicated by the parity ratio. The RMNCH service coverage sub-index gap was the greatest among women aged 15-19 years, those who belonged to the poorest wealth quintile, had no education, and resided in rural areas. CONCLUSIONS: Analysing existing data sources from an equity lens supports evidence-based policies, programs and practices with a focus on disadvantaged subgroups.

Assessing the efficiency of health systems in achieving the universal health coverage goal: evidence from Sub-Saharan Africa.

OBJECTIVE: Universal health coverage (UHC) is a major pathway to save many people from catastrophic and impoverishing healthcare spending and address the inequality in health and healthcare. The objective of this paper is to assess the efficiency with which health systems in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are utilizing healthcare resources to progress towards achieving the UHC goal by 2030. METHODS: The study followed the guidelines proposed by the World Health Organization (WHO) and World Bank joint UHC monitoring framework and the computational operationalization approach proposed by Wagstaff et al. (2015) to estimate the UHC index for each of the 30 selected SSA countries. The bootstrapping output-oriented data envelopment analysis (DEA) was used to estimate the bias-corrected technical efficiency scores and examine the environmental factors that influence health system efficiency. RESULTS: The estimated UHC levels ranged from a minimum of 52% to a maximum of 81% [Formula: see text] with a median coverage of 66%. The average bias-corrected efficiency score was 0.81 [Formula: see text]. The study found that education, governance quality, public health spending, external health funding, and prepayment arrangements that pool funds for health had a positive significant effect on health system efficiency in improving UHC, while out-of-pocket payment had a negative impact. CONCLUSION: The results show that health systems in SSA can potentially enhance UHC levels by at least 19% with existing healthcare resources if best practices are adopted. Policymakers should aim at improving education, good governance, and healthcare financing architecture to reduce out-of-pocket payments and over-reliance on donor funding for healthcare to achieve UHC.

COVID-19 Aftermath: Direction Towards Universal Health Coverage in Low-Income Countries Comment on "Health Coverage and Financial Protection in Uganda: A Political Economy Perspective".

Progressive realization of universal health coverage (UHC) requires health systems capacity to provide quality service and financial risk protection which supports access to services without financial hardship. Government health spending in low-income countries (LICs) has been low and heavily relied on external donor resources and out-of-pocket payment. This has resulted in high prevalence of catastrophic health spending or foregone care by those who cannot afford. Under fiscal constraints posed by pandemic, reforms in LICs should focus on efficiency through health resource waste reduction. Targeting the poor even with low level of health spending can make a significant health gain. Investment in primary healthcare and health workforce is the foundation for realizing UHC which cannot be postponed. Innovative tax on health hazardous products, conditional debt relief can increase fiscal space for health; while international collaboration to accelerate coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) vaccine coverage can bring LICs out of acute phase of pandemic.

Trends and projections of universal health coverage indicators in China, 1993-2030: An analysis of data from four nationwide household surveys.

Background: Universal health coverage (UHC) is a core element of Sustainable Development Goals and has become a global healthcare priority. China has been committing to provide all citizens with affordable and equitable basic healthcare over past decades. However, progress towards UHC in China has not been comprehensively assessed. This study aims to comprehensively evaluate the progress towards UHC in China by examining trends in service coverage and financial protection from 1993 to 2018, and estimating the probability of achieving UHC targets by 2030. Methods: Following the framework proposed by World Health Organization and World Bank, we selected 12 prevention service indicators, 12 treatment service indicators, and two financial protection indicators to evaluate China's progress towards UHC. We used data from four nationally representative household surveys to assess the trends in service coverage and financial protection between 1993 and 2018, as well as their inequalities across subgroups. Meta-analysis was used to construct the composite prevention and treatment indices. The regression-based relative index of inequality was used to measure the income-related inequality of UHC indicators. Bayesian linear regression was conducted to predict progress towards UHC by 2030, and the probability of achieving UHC targets. Findings: Of the 24 service coverage indicators used in this study, most of them experienced improvements between 1993 and 2018. The composite prevention index increased from 65.6% (95% CI: 52.1%-77.9%) to 87.7% (95% CI: 81.8%-92.6%) and the composite treatment index increased from 57.1% (95% CI: 43.5%-70.1%) to 75.5% (95% CI: 66.6%-83.5%). The inequalities of service coverage experienced significant declines during this period. Based on our projections, most indicators except ones in the area of non-communicable diseases (NCD) will achieve the 80% coverage target by 2030, and the prevention and treatment indices will increase to 92.7% (95% CrI: 90.3%-94.7%) and 83.2% (95% CrI: 75.1%-88.8%) by then. However, we observed limited reductions in the incidences of catastrophic health expenditure and medical impoverishment. Inequalities in financial protection remained large in 2018. Interpretation: China had made significant progress in improving healthcare service coverage and reducing inequalities between 1993 and 2018. However, China faces great challenges in improving financial protection and controlling NCD on its path towards UHC. Establishment of a primary-healthcare-based integrated delivery system and provision of better financial protection for vulnerable population should be prioritized. Funding: None.

Nutritional status and temporal trend of coverage of Brazilian adolescents monitored in the Food and Nutritional Surveillance System, 2008 to 2019 / Estado nutricional e tendência temporal da cobertura de adolescentes brasileiros acompanhados no Sistema de Vigilância Alimentar e Nutricional, 2008 a 2019

Abstract Objectives: to analyze the nutritional status and temporal trend of the coverage of Brazilian adolescents monitored in the Food and Nutritional Surveillance System in the period 2008-2019. Methods: ecological study of temporal series with SISVAN data collected from 2008 to 2019 with 45,869.266 registration. Body mass index data were collected and the registration coverage of adolescents monitored by the system was calculated. The percentage of annual variation in coverage and nutritional status was estimated using Prais-Winsten regression, with a significance level of 5%. Results: an increase in the prevalence of obesity was observed between 2008 and 2019, during this period thinness remained stable in Brazil. National coverage evolved from 9.3% in 2008 to 19.6% in 2019, with an annual variation of 9% and a statistically significant increase trend. In Brazil, obesity in this age group increased between 2008 and 2019, with an annual variation of 8.7% (CI95% = 7.8-9.6). Conclusion: modifications were observed in nutritional status suggest the occurrence of nutritional transition in the adolescents' population. The percentage of coverage available in the system has growth potential, however, the current scenario impacts on a possible insufficient analysis to support the elaboration and reorientation of public policies.

Resumo Objetivos: analisar o estado nutricional e a tendência temporal da cobertura de adolescentes brasileiros acompanhados no Sistema de Vigilância Alimentar e Nutricional no período de 2008-2019. Métodos: estudo ecológico de séries temporais com dados do SISVAN coletados no período de 2008 a 2019 com 45.869.266 de registos. Foram coletados dados de índice de massa corporal e calculadas as coberturas dos registros dos adolescentes acompanhados pelo sistema. Estimou-se a percentagem da variação anual da cobertura e estado nutricional pela regressão de Prais-Winsten, com nível de significância de 5%. Resultados: observa-se crescimento da prevalência de obesidade entre 2008 a 2019, nesse período a magreza manteve-se estável no Brasil. A cobertura nacional evoluiu de 9,3% em 2008 para 19,6% em 2019, com variação anual de 9% e tendência de aumento estatisticamente significativa. No Brasil, a obesidade nessa faixa etária apresentou um aumento entre os anos de 2008 e 2019, com uma variação anual de 8,7% (IC95%= 7,8-9,6). Conclusão: modificações observadas no estado nutricional sugerem a ocorrência da transição nutricional na população de adolescentes. O percentual de cobertura disponível no sistema tem potencial de crescimento, entretanto, o atual cenário impacta em possível análise insuficiente para subsidiar a elaboração e reorientação de políticas públicas.

Cobertura do Sistema de Vigilância Alimentar e Nutricional (SISVAN), estado nutricional de idosos e sua relação com desigualdades sociais no Brasil, 2008-2019: estudo ecológico de série temporal / Cobertura del Sistema de Vigilancia Alimentaria y Nutricional (SISVAN), estado nutricional de los ancianos y su relación con las desigualdades sociales en Brasil, 2008-2019: un estudio de serie temporal ecológica / Food and Nutrition Surveillance System (SISVAN) coverage, nutritional status of older adults and its relationship with social inequalities in Brazil, 2008-2019: an ecological time-series study

Objective: to analyze the temporal trend of Food and Nutrition Surveillance System (Sistema de Vigilância Alimentar e Nutricional - SISVAN) coverage and the nutritional status of older adults, and its correlation with indicators of social inequality in Brazil between 2008-2019. Methods: this was an ecological study using records from SISVAN, related to the population aged 60 years and older; the temporal trend of coverage and the correlation between indicators of social inequality and increment rate of nutritional status were analyzed; slope index of inequality and concentration index were used to measure absolute and relative inequalities. Results: 11,587,933 records were identified; national coverage increased from 0.1% (2008) to 2.9% (2019), with a statistically significant upward trend; a moderate inverse correlation with an annual increment rate of overweight between human development index and gross domestic product per capita, was found. Conclusion: there was an increasing trend in SISVAN coverage; the increase in overweight was associated with social inequality.

Objetivo: analizar la tendencia temporal de cobertura del Sistema de Vigilancia Alimentaria y Nutricional (SISVAN), y el estado nutricional de adultos mayores, correlacionándolos con indicadores de desigualdad social, en el período 2008-2019. Métodos: estudio ecológico mediante registros del SISVAN sobre la población ≥60 años. Se realizaron análisis de correlación entre indicadores de desigualdad social y la tasa de incremento del estado nutricional y análisis de desigualdades absolutas y relativas para obtener el índice de desigualdad angular y el índice de concentración. Resultados: se identificaron 11.587.933 registros. La cobertura nacional evolucionó del 0,1% en 2008 al 2,9% en 2019, con una tendencia ascendente estadísticamente significativa. Se encontró una correlación inversa moderada con la tasa de incremento anual de sobrepeso para IDH y PIB per cápita. Conclusión: hubo una tendencia de crecimiento en la cobertura del SISVAN. El aumento del sobrepeso se asoció con la desigualdad social.

Objetivo: analisar a tendência temporal da cobertura do Sistema de Vigilância Alimentar e Nutricional (SISVAN) e do estado nutricional de idosos, e sua correlação com indicadores de desigualdade social no Brasil, no período 2008-2019. Métodos: estudo ecológico, sobre registros do SISVAN relativos à população na idade de 60 anos ou mais; analisaram-se a tendência temporal da cobertura e a correlação entre indicadores de desigualdade social e taxa de incremento do estado nutricional; os índices angular e de concentração foram utilizados para medir desigualdades absolutas e relativas. Resultados: foram identificados 11.587.933 registros de idosos; a cobertura nacional evoluiu de 0,1% (2008) para 2,9% (2019), com tendência de aumento estatisticamente significativa; foi encontrada correlação inversa moderada com taxa de incremento anual de sobrepeso, para índice de desenvolvimento humano e produto interno bruto per capita. Conclusão: houve tendência de crescimento da cobertura do SISVAN; o aumento de sobrepeso esteve associado à desigualdade social.

Measurement and mapping of maternal health service coverage through a novel composite index: a sub-national level analysis in India.

BACKGROUND: Expansion of maternal health service coverage is crucial for the survival and wellbeing of both mother and child. To date, limited literature exists on the measurement of maternal health service coverage at the sub-national level in India. The prime objectives of the study were to comprehensively measure the maternal health service coverage by generating a composite index, map India by categorizing it into low, medium and high zones and examine its incremental changes over time. METHODS: Utilising a nationally representative time series data of 15 key indicators spread across three domains of antenatal care, intranatal care and postnatal care, we constructed a novel 'Maternal Health Service Coverage Index' (MHSI) for 29 states and 5 union territories of India for the base (2017-18) and reference (2019-20) years. Following a rigorous procedure, MHSI scores were generated using both arithmetic mean and geometric mean approaches. We categorized India into low, medium and high maternal health service coverage zones and further generated geospatial maps to examine the extent and transition of maternal health service coverage from base to reference year. RESULTS: India registered the highest mean percentage coverage (93.7%) for 'institutional delivery' and the lowest for 'treatment for obstetric complications' (9.3%) among all the indicators. Depending on the usage of arithmetic mean and geometric mean approaches, the maternal health service coverage index score for India exhibited marginal incremental change (between 0.015-0.019 index points) in the reference year. West zone exhibited an upward transition in the coverage of maternal health service indicators, while none of the zones recorded a downward movement. The states of Mizoram (east zone) and the Union Territory of Puducherry (south zone) showed a downward transition. Union territories of Dadra & Nagar Haveli (west zone) and Chandigarh (north zone), along with the states of Maharashtra (west zone), Assam, as well as Jharkhand (both from the east & north east zone), showed upward transition. CONCLUSION: Overall, maternal health service coverage is increasing across India. Our study offers a novel summary measure to comprehensively quantify the coverage of maternal health services, which can momentously help India identify lagged indicators and low performing regions, thereby warranting the targeted interventions and concentrated programmatic efforts to bolster the maternal health service coverage at the sub-national level.

Socioeconomic Determinants of Universal Health Coverage in the Asian Region.

The World Health Organization (WHO) states that examining medical financial systems is the most important process in evaluating universal health coverage (UHC). This study used the service coverage index (SCI) as a proxy of the progress toward UHC in eleven Asian countries. We employed a fixed-effects regression model to analyze panel data from 2015 to 2017, to explain the interrelationship between the SCI and major socioeconomic indicators. We also conducted a performance analysis (ratio of achieved SCI level to gross domestic product (GDP) or health expenditure displacement) to examine the balance between the degree of achievements related to UHC and a country's economic level. The results showed that GDP and health expenditure were significantly positively correlated with the SCI (p < 0.01). The panel data analysis results showed that GDP per capita was a factor that greatly influenced the SCI as well as poverty (partial regression coefficient: 0.0017, 95% CI: 0.0013-0.0021). The results of the performance analysis showed that the Philippines had the highest scores (GDP: 1.84 SCI score/USD per capita, health expenditure: 1.04 SCI score/USD per capita) and South Korea the lowest. We conclude that socioeconomic factors, such as GDP, health expenditure, unemployment, poverty, and population influence the progress of UHC, regardless of system maturity or geographic characteristics.

The Extent of Universal Health Coverage for Maternal Health Services in Eastern Uganda: A Cross Sectional Study.

OBJECTIVE: Monitoring essential health services coverage is important to inform resource allocation for the attainment of the Sustainable Development Goal 3. The objective was to assess service, effective and financial coverages of maternal healthcare services and their equity, using health and demographic surveillance site data in eastern Uganda. METHODS: Between Nov 2018 and Feb 2019, 638 resident women giving birth in 2017 were surveyed. Among them, 386 were randomly sampled in a follow-up survey (Feb 2019) on pregnancy and delivery payments and contents of care. Service coverage (antenatal care visits, skilled birth attendance, institutional delivery and one postnatal visit), effective coverage (antenatal and postnatal care content) and financial coverage (out-of-pocket payments for antenatal and delivery care and health insurance coverage) were measured, stratified by socio-economic status, education level and place of residence. RESULTS: Coverage of skilled birth attendance and institutional delivery was both high (88%), while coverage of postnatal visit was low (51%). Effective antenatal care was lower than effective postnatal care (38% vs 76%). Financial coverage was low: 91% of women made out-of-pocket payments for delivery services. Equity analysis showed coverage of institutional delivery was higher for wealthier and peri-urban women and these women made higher out-of-pocket payments. In contrast, coverage of a postnatal visit was higher for rural women and poorest women. CONCLUSION: Maternal health coverage in eastern Uganda is not universal and particularly low for postnatal visit, effective antenatal care and financial coverage. Analysing healthcare payments and quality by healthcare provider sector is potential future research.

Preventive Health Service Coverage Among Infants and Children at Six Maternal-Child Health Clinics in Western Kenya: A Cross-Sectional Assessment.

OBJECTIVES: Despite the substantial reduction of child mortality in recent decades, Kenya still strives to provide universal healthcare access and to meet other international benchmarks for child health. This study aimed to describe child health service coverage among children visiting six maternal and child health (MCH) clinics in western Kenya. METHODS: In a cross-sectional study of Kenyan children who are under the age of 5 years presenting to MCH clinics, child health records were reviewed to determine coverage of immunizations, growth monitoring, vitamin A supplementation, and deworming. Among 78 children and their caregivers, nearly 70% of children were fully vaccinated for their age. RESULTS: We found a significant disparity in full vaccination coverage by gender (p = 0.017), as males had 3.5 × higher odds of being fully vaccinated compared to females. Further, full vaccination coverage also varied across MCH clinic sites ranging from 43.8 to 92.9%. CONCLUSIONS FOR PRACTICE: Health service coverage for Kenyan children in this study is consistent with national and sub-national findings; however, our study found a significant gender equity gap in coverage at these six clinics that warrants further investigation to ensure that all children receive critical preventative services.

Is South Africa closing the health gaps between districts? Monitoring progress towards universal health service coverage with routine facility data.

BACKGROUND: South Africa is committed to advancing universal health coverage (UHC). The usefulness and potential of using routine health facility data for monitoring progress towards UHC, in the form of the 16-tracer WHO service coverage index (SCI), was assessed. METHODS: Alternative approaches to calculating the WHO SCI from routine data, allowing for disaggregation to district level, were explored. Data extraction, coding, transformation and modelling processes were applied to generate time series for these alternatives. Equity was assessed using socio-economic quintiles by district. RESULTS: The UHC SCI at a national level was 46.1 in 2007-2008 and 56.9 in 2016-2017. Only for the latter period, could the index be calculated for all indicators at a district level. Alternative indicators were formulated for 9 of 16 tracers in the index. Routine or repeated survey data could be used for 14 tracers. Apart from the NCD indicators, a gradient of poorer performance in the most deprived districts was evident in 2016-2017. CONCLUSIONS: It is possible to construct the UHC SCI for South Africa from predominantly routine data sources. Overall, there is evidence from district level data of a trend towards reduced inequity in relation to specific categories (notably RMNCH). Progress towards UHC has the potential to overcome fragmentation and enable harmonisation and interoperability of information systems. Private sector reporting of data into routine information systems should be encouraged.

Are Essential Women's Healthcare Services Fully Covered? A Comparative Analysis of Policy Documents in Shanghai and New York City from 1978-2017.

This study aimed to analyze the changes in the 10 major categories of women's healthcare services (WHSs) in Shanghai (SH) and New York City (NYC) from 1978 to 2017, and examine the relationship between these changes and maternal mortality ratio (MMR). Content analysis of available public policy documents concerning women's health was conducted. Two indicators were designed to represent the delivery of WHSs: The essential women's healthcare service coverage rate (ESCR) and the assessable essential healthcare service coverage rate (AESCR). Spearman correlation was used to analyze the relationship between the two indicators and MMR. In SH, the ESCR increased from 10% to 90%, AESCR increased from 0% to 90%, and MMR decreased from 24.0/100,000 to 1.01/100,000. In NYC, the ESCR increased from 0% to 80%, the AESCR increased from 0% to 60%, and the MMR decreased from 24.7/100,000 to 21.4/100,000. The MMR significantly decreased as both indicators increased (p < 0.01). Major advances have been made in women's healthcare in both cities, with SH having a better improvement effect. A common shortcoming for both was the lack of menopausal health service provision. The promotion of women's health still needs to receive continuous attention from governments of SH and NYC. The experiences of the two cities showed that placing WHSs among policy priorities is effective in improving service status.

Statewide Ambulance Coverage of a Mixed Region of Urban, Rural and Frontier under Travel Time Catchment Areas.

This study examines the statewide service coverage of emergency medical services (EMS) in view of public health planners, policy makers, and ambulance service managers. The study investigates the statewide service coverage in a mixed region of urban, rural, and frontier regions to address the importance of ambulance service coverage at a large scale. The study incorporated statewide road networks for ambulance travel time, census blocks for population, and backup service coverage using geographic information systems (GIS). The catchment areas were delineated by the travel time after subtracting chute time for each Census Block as an analysis zone. Using the catchment areas from the ambulance base to the centroid of Census Block, the population and land coverage were calculated. The service shortage and multiple coverage areas were identified by the catchment areas. The study found that both reducing chute time and increasing the speed of emergency vehicles at the same time was significantly more effective than improving only one of two factors. The study shows that the service is improved significantly in frontier and urban areas by increasing driving time and chute time. However, in rural areas, the improvement is marginal owing to wider distribution than urban areas and shorter threshold response time than frontier areas. The public health planners and EMS managers benefit from the study to identify underserved areas and redistribute limited public resources.

The failure of private health services: COVID-19 induced crises in low- and middle-income country (LMIC) health systems.

For decades, governments and development partners promoted neoliberal policies in the health sector in many LMICs, largely motivated by the belief that governments in these countries were too weak to provide all the health services necessary to meet population needs. Private health markets became the governance and policy solution to improve the delivery of health services which allowed embedded forms of market failure to persist in these countries and which were exposed during the COVID-19 pandemic. In this article, we analyse the manifestations of these market failures using data from an assembled database of COVID-19 related news items sourced from the Global Database of Events, Language, and Tone. Specifically, we identify how pre-existing market failure and failures of redistribution have led to the rise of three urgent crises in LMICs: a financial and liquidity crisis among private providers, a crisis of service provision and pricing, and an attendant crisis in state-provider relations. The COVID-19 pandemic has therfore exposed important failures of the public-private models of health systems and provides an opportunity to rethink the future orientation of national health systems and commitments towards Universal Health Coverage.

Developing Malawi's Universal Health Coverage Index.

The inclusion of Universal Health Coverage (UHC) in the Sustainable Development Goals (target 3.8) cemented its position as a key global health priority and highlighted the need to measure it, and to track progress over time. In this study, we aimed to develop a summary measure of UHC for Malawi which will act as a baseline for tracking UHC index between 2020 and 2030. We developed a summary index for UHC by computing the geometric mean of indicators for the two dimensions of UHC; service coverage (SC) and financial risk protection (FRP). The indicators included for both the SC and FRP were based on the Government of Malawi's essential health package (EHP) and data availability. The SC indicator was computed as the geometric mean of preventive and treatment indicators, whereas the FRP indicator was computed as a geometric mean of the incidence of catastrophic healthcare expenditure, and the impoverishing effect of healthcare payments indicators. Data were obtained from various sources including the 2015/2016 Malawi Demographic and Health Survey (MDHS); the 2016/2017 fourth integrated household survey (IHS4); 2018/2019 Malawi Harmonized Health Facility Assessment (HHFA); the MoH HIV and TB data, and the WHO. We also conducted various combinations of input indicators and weights as part of sensitivity analysis to validate the results. The overall summary measure of UHC index was 69.68% after adjusting for inequality and unadjusted measure was 75.03%. As regards the two UHC components, the inequality adjusted summary indicator for SC was estimated to be 51.59% and unadjusted measure was 57.77%, whereas the inequality adjusted summary indicator for FRP was 94.10% and unweighted 97.45%. Overall, with the UHC index of 69.68%, Malawi is doing relatively well in comparison to other low income countries, however, significant gaps and inequalities still exist in Malawi's quest to achieve UHC especially in the SC indicators. It is imperative that targeted health financing and other health sector reforms are made to achieve this goal. Such reforms should be focused on both SC and FRP rather than on only either, of the dimensions of UHC.

Quality of care for non-communicable diseases in the Republic of Moldova: a survey across primary health care facilities and pharmacies.

BACKGROUND: The Republic of Moldova is faced with a high prevalence of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) related to lifestyle and health behavioural factors. Within the frame of the decentralisation reform, the primary health care system has been tasked to play an important role in the provision of preventative and curative NCD health services. There is however limited evidence available on the actual coverage and quality of care provided. Our paper aims to provide an updated overview of the coverage and quality of service provision in rural and urban regions of Moldova. METHODS: We designed a facility-based survey to measure aspects of coverage and quality of care of NCD services across 20 districts of the Republic of Moldova. This study presents descriptive data on the structural, procedural and clinical aspects of primary healthcare delivery at health centre and family doctor office level. Adjacent private pharmacies were also assessed for the availability of essential NCD medicine. RESULTS: Organised under the WHO Health Systems Framework, our findings highlight that service provision and information were generally the strongest among the six health systems building blocks, with more weaknesses found in the area of the health workforce, medical products, financing, and leadership/governance. Urban facilities generally fared better across all indicators. CONCLUSIONS: The gaps in service provision identified by this study require broad health system improvements to ensure NCD related policies and strategies are embedded in primary health care service provision. This likely calls for stronger coordination and collaboration between the public and private sectors and the different levels of government working towards ensuring universal health coverage in Moldova.