Scoping Review of Health Economics Research on Refugee Health in Sub-Saharan Africa.

OBJECTIVES: Most refugees and internally displaced people (IDP) stay in low- and middle-income settings. A substantial proportion are hosted by countries in sub-Saharan African (SSA), which puts significant pressure on limited government healthcare budgets. As health economics may guide more optimal healthcare decision making, we scope the health economics literature on forcibly displaced populations in SSA to identify the nature and range of health economics evidence. METHODS: We conducted a scoping review of peer-reviewed and gray literature in English published from 2000 to 2021. Our search terms comprised a combination of keywords related to refugees, SSA, and health economics. We followed a stepwise methodology consisting of the identification and selection of studies, extraction and charting of data. RESULTS: We identified 29 health economics studies on refugees and IDPs in SSA covering different providers, interventions, and delivery platforms. Twenty-one articles studied the determinants of health, followed by 5 on the supply of healthcare and 2 concerned with economic evaluation and the demand for healthcare, respectively. We found an equal division of articles focusing on refugees and IDPs, as well as by settlement type. Mental health was the most frequently studied health area and Uganda was the most studied destination country. CONCLUSIONS: The health economics literature on refugees in SSA remains limited. Our scoping review encourages future research to study a larger variety of healthcare systems and health economic topics such as economic evaluations, health financing and whole health systems to support resource allocation decisions and sustainable long-term solutions.

Expectations of clients, insurers, and providers: a qualitative responsiveness assessment among private health insurance sector in Kampala-Uganda.

BACKGROUND: There is less attention to assessing how health services meet the expectations of private health insurance (PHI) actors, clients, insurers, and providers in developing countries. Interdependently, the expectations of each actor are stipulated during contract negotiations (duties, obligations, and privileges) in a PHI arrangement. Complementary service roles performed by each actor significantly contribute to achieving their expectations. This study assessed the role of PHI in meeting the expectations of clients, insurers, and providers in Kampala. Lessons from this study may inform possible reviews and improvements in Uganda's proposed National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to ensure NHIS service responsiveness. METHODS: This study employed a qualitative case-study design. Eight (8) focus group discussions (FGDs) with insured clients and nine (9) key informant interviews (KIIs) with insurer and provider liaison officers between October 2020 and February 2021 were conducted. Participants were purposively selected from eligible institutions. Thematic analysis was employed, and findings were presented using themes with corresponding anonymized narratives and quotes. RESULTS: Client-Provider, Client-Insurer, and Provider-Insurer expectations were generally not met. Client-provider expectations: Although most facilities were clean with a conducive care environment, clients experienced low service care responsiveness characterized by long waiting times. Both clients and providers received inadequate feedback about services they received and delivered respectively, in addition to prompt care being received by a few clients. For client-insurer expectations, under unclear service packages, clients received low-quality medicines. Lastly, for provider-insurer expectations, delayed payments, selective periodic assessments, and inadequate orientation of clients on insurance plans were most reported. Weak coordination between the client-provider and insurer did not support delivery processes for responsive service. CONCLUSION: Health care service responsiveness was generally low. There is a need to commit resources to support the setting up of clearer service package orientation programs, and efficient monitoring and feedback platforms. Uganda's proposed National Health Insurance Act may use these findings to: Inform its design initiatives focusing on operating under realistic expectations, investment in quality improvement systems and coordination, and efficient and accountable client care relationships.

Factors associated with retention on pre-exposure prophylaxis among female sex workers in Kigali, Rwanda.

Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP) is recommended as an additional HIV prevention measure for persons at substantial risk of HIV acquisition. Although uptake of PrEP among female sex workers (FSW) has increased, retention remains low, resulting in suboptimal benefits. This study aimed at determining PrEP retention rates and associated factors among FSW in Kigali, Rwanda. We retrospectively studied records of 309 FSW abstracted from five (5) health centers for the period between April-June 2020 and April-June 2021. PrEP retention was defined as presenting for a scheduled follow-up visit. We used Kaplan-Meier survival analysis to estimate survival probabilities at months 1,3,6,9, and 12 post-PrEP initiation and Cox regression to determine factors associated with 12-month PrEP retention. Data was analyzed using STATA (version 14.0). Out of 309 FSW whose records were reviewed, data for 268 (87%) were complete. One half (50%, n = 133) of the respondents were aged 25-34 years; slightly more than half (52%, n = 136) were single; nearly three-quarters (73%, n = 196) had completed primary school; majority (88%, n = 236) lived alone; while 69% (n = 184) had no formal employment besides sex work. PrEP dropout rates were 228, 65, 29, 49, and 36 per 100-persons years at months 1, 3, 6, 9 and 12 respectively, with 81%, 72%, 67%, 59% and 53% of FSW that started PrEP retained at these time periods. Multivariable Cox regression revealed that compared to FSW opposed to additional children, the desire to have two or more children (adjusted Hazard Ratio [aHR] = 1.654; 95% Confidential Interval [95%CI]: 1.008, 2.713); and using hormonal (aHR = 2.091, 95%CI: 1.181, 3.702) or no method of contraception other than condoms (aHR = 2.036, 95%CI: 1.006, 4.119) were factors positively associated with PrEP retention. Conversely, compared to consistent condom-use, not using (aHR = 0.329; 95%CI: 0.149, 0.726) or inconsistently using condoms (aHR = 0.413; 95%CI: 0.228, 0.749), and accessing PrEP from ultra-urban clinics (aHR = 0.290; 95%CI: 0.183, 0.458) compared to clinics in the outskirts of the city, were factors negatively associated with PrEP retention. The study found a continuous decline in PrEP retention among FSW with slightly more than half retained at 12 months. To improve outcomes, PrEP retention monitoring should target FSW enrolled in ultra-urban clinics and those not or inconsistently using condoms.

Health technology assessment (HTA) readiness in Uganda: stakeholder's perceptions on the potential application of HTA to support national universal health coverage efforts.

INTRODUCTION: Health technology assessment (HTA) is an area that remains less implemented in low- and lower middle-income countries. The aim of the study is to understand the perceptions of stakeholders in Uganda toward HTA and its role in decision making, in order to inform its potential implementation in the country. METHODS: The study takes a cross-sectional mixed methods approach, utilizing an adapted version of the International Decision Support Initiative questionnaire with both semi-structured and open-ended questions. We interviewed thirty key informants from different stakeholder institutions in Uganda that support policy and decision making in the health sector. RESULTS: All participants perceived HTA as an important tool for decision making. Allocative efficiency was regarded as the most important use of HTA receiving the highest average score (8.8 out of 10), followed by quality of healthcare (7.8/10), transparency (7.6/10), budget control (7.5/10), and equity (6.5/10). There was concern that some of the uses of HTA may not be achieved in reality if there was political interference during the HTA process. The study participants identified development partners as the most likely potential users of HTA (66.7 percent of participants), followed by Ministry of Health (43.3 percent). CONCLUSION: Interviewed stakeholders in Uganda viewed the role of HTA positively, suggesting that there exists a promising environment for the establishment and operationalization of HTA as a tool for decision making within the health sector. However, sustainable development and application of HTA in Uganda will require adequate capacity both to undertake HTAs and to support their use and uptake.

Supporting the revision of the health benefits package in Uganda: A constrained optimisation approach.

This study demonstrates how the linear constrained optimization approach can be used to design a health benefits package (HBP) which maximises the net disability adjusted life years (DALYs) averted given the health system constraints faced by a country, and how the approach can help assess the marginal value of relaxing health system constraints. In the analysis performed for Uganda, 45 interventions were included in the HBP in the base scenario, resulting in a total of 26.7 million net DALYs averted. When task shifting of pharmacists' and nutrition officers' tasks to nurses is allowed, 73 interventions were included in the HBP resulting in a total of 32 million net DALYs averted (a 20% increase). Further, investing only $58 towards hiring additional nutrition officers' time could avert one net DALY; this increased to $60 and $64 for pharmacists and nurses respectively, and $100,000 for expanding the consumable budget, since human resources present the main constraint to the system.

Disruption in accessing sexual and reproductive health services among border populations during COVID-19 lockdown in Uganda.

Background: The spread of COVID-19 exposed the inadequacies inherent in the health care systems of many countries. COVID-19 and the attendant demands for emergency treatment and management put a significant strain on countries' health care systems, including hitherto strong health systems. In Uganda, as the government strived to contain COVID-19, other essential health care services were either disrupted or completely crowded out. Balancing the provision of COVID-19 treatment and management services and at the same time offering sexual and reproductive health and rights services (SRHR) proved to be a considerable challenge in these circumstances. COVID-19 prevention-related travel restrictions and border closures had far-reaching negative consequences on the mobility of individuals to access essential health services in Uganda. The situation may have been worse for cross-border communities that sometimes access services across the borders. Methods: Using quantitative data from 1521 respondents and qualitative data (20 key informant interviews and 12 focus group discussions), we investigate the disruption in accessing SRHR services for border communities in Uganda during COVID-19. Results: Results indicate that females (adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 1.3; 95% confidence interval CI = 1.08-1.79), those with primary education (aOR = 1.47; 95% CI = 1.61-2.57), currently employed (aOR = 2.03; 95% CI = 1.61-2.57) and those with the intention to leave current residence (aOR = 2.09; 95% CI = 1.23-3.55) were more likely to have experienced a disruption in accessing SRHR services. However, respondents aged 35 years, or more were less likely to have experienced a disruption compared to their younger counterparts. Conclusions: Results shed light on the disruption of access toSRHR services during pandemics such as COVID-19 among a highly mobile population. There is a need to invest in building strong and resilient health care systems that can guarantee continuous access to essential health services including SRHR provisions among mobile populations during pandemics.

The Government Budget: An Overlooked Vehicle for Advancing Strategic Health Purchasing.

The most effective way to finance universal health coverage (UHC) is through compulsory prepaid funds that flow through the government budget. Public funds-including on-budget donor resources-allow for pooling and allocation of resources to providers in a way that aligns with population health needs. This is particularly important for low-income settings with fiscal constraints. While much attention is paid to innovative sources of additional financing for UHC and to implementing strategic purchasing approaches, the government budget will continue to be the main source of health financing in most countries-and the most stable mechanism for channeling additional funds. The government budget should therefore be front and center on the strategic purchasing agenda. This commentary uses lessons from Tanzania and Uganda to demonstrate that more can be done to use the government budget as a vehicle for making health purchasing more strategic, across all phases of the budget cycle, and for making greater progress toward UHC. Actions need to be accompanied by measures to address bottlenecks in the public financial management system.

Strategic Purchasing Arrangements in Uganda and Their Implications for Universal Health Coverage.

Several purchasing arrangements coexist in Uganda, creating opportunities for synergy but also leading to conflicting incentives and inefficiencies in resource allocation and purchasing functions. This paper analyzes the key health care purchasing functions in Uganda and the implications of the various purchasing arrangements for universal health coverage (UHC). The data for this paper were collected through a document review and stakeholder dialogue. The analysis was guided by the Strategic Health Purchasing Progress Tracking Framework created by the Strategic Purchasing Africa Resource Center (SPARC) and its technical partners. Uganda has a minimum health care package that targets the main causes of morbidity and mortality as well as specific vulnerable groups. However, provision of the package is patchy, largely due to inadequate domestic financing and duplication of services funded by development partners. There is selective contracting with private-sector providers. Facilities receive direct funding from both the government budget and development partners. Unlike government-budget funding, payment from output-based donor-funded projects and performance-based financing (PBF) projects is linked to service quality and has specified conditions for use. Specification of UHC targets is still nascent and evolving in Uganda. Expansion of service coverage in Uganda can be achieved through enhanced resource pooling and harmonization of government and donor priorities. Greater provider autonomy, better work planning, direct facility funding, and provision of flexible funds to service providers are essential elements in the delivery of high-quality services that meet local needs and Uganda's UHC aspirations.

Effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of group support psychotherapy delivered by trained lay health workers for depression treatment among people with HIV in Uganda: a cluster-randomised trial.

BACKGROUND: WHO recommends the use of psychological interventions as first-line treatment for depression in low-income and middle-income countries. However, evaluations of the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of such interventions among people with HIV are scarce. Our aim was to establish the effectiveness of group support psychotherapy (GSP) delivered by lay health workers for depression treatment among people living with HIV in a rural area of Uganda on a large scale. METHODS: In this cluster-randomised trial, we included 30 health centres offering HIV care. These were randomly assigned to deliver either GSP or group HIV education (GHE). Randomisation, in a ratio of 1:1, was achieved by health centre managers separately picking a paper containing the intervention allocation from a basket. Participants were people living with HIV, aged 19 years and older, with mild to moderate major depression assessed with the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview depression module, taking antiretroviral therapy, and antidepressant-naive. Group sessions were led by trained lay health workers once a week for 8 weeks. The primary outcomes were the proportion of participants with major depression and function scores at 6 months post-treatment, analysed by intention to treat by means of multilevel random effect regression analyses adjusting for clustering in health centres. This trial is registered with the Pan African Clinical Trials Registry, PACTR201608001738234. FINDINGS: Between Sept 13 and Dec 15, 2016, we assessed 1473 individuals, of whom 1140 were recruited from health centres offering GSP (n=578 [51%]) or GHE (n=562 [49%]). Two (<1%) participants in the GSP group were diagnosed with major depression 6 months post-treatment compared with 160 (28%) in the GHE group (adjusted odds ratio=0·01, 95% CI 0·003-0·012, p<0·0001). The mean function scores 6 months post-treatment were 9·85 (SD 0·76) in the GSP group and 6·83 (2·85) in the GHE group (ß=4·12; 95% CI 3·75-4·49, p<0·0001). 36 individuals had 63 serious adverse events, which included 25 suicide attempts and 22 hospital admissions for medical complications. The outcomes of these serious adverse events included 16 deaths, 4 of which were completed suicides (GSP=2; GHE=2), and 12 of which were HIV-related medical complications (GSP=8; GHE=4). Cost-effectiveness estimates showed an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of US$13·0 per disability-adjusted life-year averted, which can be considered very cost-effective in Uganda. INTERPRETATION: Integration of cost-effective psychological treatments such as group support psychotherapy into existing HIV interventions might improve the mental health of people living with HIV. FUNDING: MQ Transforming Mental Health and Grand Challenges Canada.

Applying the model of diffusion of innovations to understand facilitators for the implementation of maternal and neonatal health programmes in rural Uganda.

In Uganda, more than 336 out of every 100,000 women die annually during childbirth. Pregnant women, particularly in rural areas, often lack the financial resources and means to access health facilities in a timely manner for quality antenatal, delivery, and post-natal services. For nearly the past decade, the Makerere University School of Public Health researchers, through various projects, have been spearheading innovative interventions, embedded in implementation research, to reduce barriers to access to care. In this paper, we describe two of projects that were initially conceived to tackle the financial barriers to access to care - through a voucher program in the community - on the demand side - and a series of health systems strengthening activities at the district and facility level - on the supply side. Over time, the projects diverged in the content of the intervention and the modality in which they were implemented, providing an opportunity for reflection on innovation and scaling up. In this short report, we used an adaptation of Greenhalgh's Model of Diffusion to reflect on these projects' approaches to implementing innovative interventions, with the ultimate goal of reducing maternal and neonatal mortality in rural Uganda. We found that the adapted model of diffusion of innovations facilitated the emergence of insights on barriers and facilitators to the implementation of health systems interventions. Health systems research projects would benefit from analyses beyond the implementation period, in order to better understand how adoption and diffusion happen, or not, over time, after the external catalyst departs.

Private retail drug shops: what they are, how they operate, and implications for health care delivery in rural Uganda.

BACKGROUND: Retail drug shops play a significant role in managing pediatric fevers in rural areas in Uganda. Targeted interventions to improve drug seller practices require understanding of the retail drug shop market and motivations that influence practices. This study aimed at describing the operational environment in relation to the Uganda National Drug Authority guidelines for setup of drug shops; characteristics, and dispensing practices of private retail drug shops in managing febrile conditions among under-five children in rural western Uganda. METHODS: Cross sectional survey of 74 registered drug shops, observation checklist, and 428 exit interviews using a semi-structured questionnaire with care-seekers of children under five years of age, who sought care at drug shops during the survey period. The survey was conducted in Mbarara and Bushenyi districts, South Western Uganda, in May 2013. RESULTS: Up to 90 and 79% of surveyed drug shops in Mbarara and Bushenyi, largely operate in premises that meet National Drug Authority requirements for operational suitability and ensuring medicines safety and quality. Drug shop attendants had some health or medical related training with 60% in Mbarara and 59% in Bushenyi being nurses or midwives. The rest were clinical officers, pharmacists. The most commonly stocked medicines at drug shops were Paracetamol, Quinine, Cough syrup, ORS/Zinc, Amoxicillin syrup, Septrin® syrup, Artemisinin-based combination therapies, and multivitamins, among others. Decisions on what medicines to stock were influenced by among others: recommended medicines from Ministry of Health, consumer demand, most profitable medicines, and seasonal disease patterns. Dispensing decisions were influenced by: prescriptions presented by client, patients' finances, and patient preferences, among others. Most drug shops surveyed had clinical guidelines, iCCM guidelines, malaria and diarrhea treatment algorithms and charts as recommended by the Ministry of Health. Some drug shops offered additional services such as immunization and sold non-medical goods, as a mechanism for diversification. CONCLUSION: Most drug shops premises adhered to the recommended guidelines. Market factors, including client demand and preferences, pricing and profitability, and seasonality largely influenced dispensing and stocking practices. Improving retail drug shop practices and quality of services, requires designing and implementing both supply-side and demand side strategies.

Disability Characteristics of Community-Based Rehabilitation Participants in Kayunga District, Uganda.

BACKGROUND: Approximately 80% of individuals with disability reside in low- and middle-income countries where community-based rehabilitation (CBR) has been used as a strategy to improve disability. However, data relating to disability severity among CBR beneficiaries in low-income countries like Uganda remain scarce, particularly at the community or district level. OBJECTIVES: To describe severity of disability and associated factors for persons with physical disabilities receiving CBR services in the Kayunga district of Uganda. METHODS: A cross-sectional sample of 293 adults with physical disabilities receiving a CBR service in the Kayunga district was recruited. Disability severity was measured using the 12-item World Health Organization Disability Assessment Schedule 2.0 (WHODAS2.0), and analyzed as a binary outcome (low: 0-9, high: 10-48). Inferential statistics using odds ratios were used to determine factors associated with impairment severity. FINDINGS: The mean WHODAS 2.0 score of persons with physical disabilities was 12.7 (standard deviation = 8.3). More than half (52.90%) of people with physical disabilities reported a high level of functional impairment. Increased disability severity was significantly associated with limited access to assistive devices (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] = 4.55, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.87-14.08, P < .001), and increased use of medical health care (AOR = 5.55, 95% CI: 1.84-16.79, P = .002). CONCLUSION: These findings suggest a high level of moderate to severe functional impairments in persons with physical disabilities receiving CBR in Kayunga district. These data provide support for efforts to enhance CBR's ability to liaise with local health care, education, and community resources to promote access to needed services and ultimately improve the functional status of persons with disabilities in low-resource settings.

Health system effects of implementing integrated community case management (iCCM) intervention in private retail drug shops in South Western Uganda: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Intervening in private drug shops to improve quality of care and enhance regulatory oversight may have health system effects that need to be understood before scaling up any such interventions. We examine the processes through which a drug shop intervention culminated in positive unintended effects and other dynamic interactions within the underlying health system. METHODS: A multifaceted intervention consisting of drug seller training, supply of diagnostics and subsidised medicines, use of treatment algorithms, monthly supervision and community sensitisation was implemented in drug shops in South Western Uganda, to improve paediatric fever management. Focus group discussions and in-depth interviews were conducted with stakeholders (drug sellers, government officials and community health workers) at baseline, midpoint and end-line between September 2013 and September 2015. Using a health market and systems lens, transcripts from the interviews were analysed to identify health system effects associated with the apparent success of the intervention. FINDINGS: Stakeholders initially expressed caution and fears about the intervention's implications for quality, equity and interface with the regulatory framework. Over time, these stakeholders embraced the intervention. Most respondents noted that the intervention had improved drug shop standards, enabled drug shops to embrace patient record keeping, parasite-based treatment of malaria and appropriate medicine use. There was also improved supportive supervision, and better compliance to licensing and other regulatory requirements. Drug seller legitimacy was enhanced from the community and client perspective, leading to improved trust in drug shops. CONCLUSION: The study showed how effectively using health technologies and the perceived efficacy of medicines contributed to improved legitimacy and trust in drug shops among stakeholders. The study also demonstrated that using a combination of appropriate incentives and consumer empowerment strategies can help harmonise common practices with medicine regulations and safeguard public health, especially in mixed health market contexts.

Integrated community case management by drug sellers influences appropriate treatment of paediatric febrile illness in South Western Uganda: a quasi-experimental study.

BACKGROUND: Fever case management is a major challenge for improved child health globally, despite existence of cheap and effective child survival health technologies. The integrated Community Case Management (iCCM) intervention of paediatric febrile illnesses though adopted by Uganda's Ministry of Health to be implemented by community health workers, has not addressed the inaccess to life-saving medicines and diagnostics. Therefore, the iCCM intervention was implemented in private drug shops and evaluated for its effect on appropriate treatment of paediatric fever in a low malaria transmission setting in South Western Uganda. METHODS: From June 2013 to September 2015, the effect of the iCCM intervention on drug seller paediatric fever management and adherence to iCCM guidelines was assessed in a quasi-experimental study in South Western Uganda. A total of 212 care-seeker exit interviews were done before and 285 after in the intervention arm as compared to 216 before and 268 care-seeker interviews at the end of the study period in the comparison arm. The intervention effect was assessed by difference-in-difference analysis of drug seller treatment practices against national treatment recommendations between the intervention and comparison arms. Observed proportions among care-seeker interviews were compared with corresponding proportions from 5795 child visits recorded in patient registries and 49 direct observations of drug seller-care-seeker encounters in intervention drug shops. RESULTS: The iCCM intervention increased the appropriate treatment of uncomplicated malaria, pneumonia symptoms and non-bloody diarrhoea by 80.2% (95% CI 53.2-107.2), 65.5% (95% CI 51.6-79.4) and 31.4% (95% CI 1.6-61.2), respectively. Within the intervention arm, drug seller scores on appropriate treatment for pneumonia symptoms and diagnostic test use were the same among care-seeker exit interviews and direct observation. A linear trend (negative slope, - 0.009 p value < 0.001) was observed for proportions of child cases prescribed any antimicrobial medicine in the intervention arm drug shops. CONCLUSIONS: The iCCM intervention improved appropriate treatment for uncomplicated malaria, pneumonia symptoms and diarrhoea. Drug seller adherence to iCCM guidelines was high, without causing excessive prescription of antimicrobial medicines in this study. Further research should assess whether this effect is sustained over time and under routine supervision models.

Multi-country analysis of the cost of community health workers kits and commodities for community-based maternal and newborn care.

Community-based maternal and newborn care with home visits by community health workers (CHWs) are recommended by WHO to complement facility-based care. As part of multi-country economic and systems analyses, we aimed to compare the content and financial costs associated with equipping CHWs or 'home visit kits' from seven studies in Bolivia, Ethiopia, Ghana, Malawi, South Africa, Tanzania and Uganda. We estimated the equivalent annual costs (EACs) of home visit kits per CHW in constant 2015 USD. We estimated EAC at scale in a population of 100 000 assuming four home visits per mother during the pregnancy and postnatal period. All seven packages were designed for health promotion; six included clinical assessments and one included curative care. The items used by CHWs differed between countries, even for the same task. The EAC per home visit kit ranged from $15 in Tanzania to $116 in South Africa. For health promotion and preventive care, between 82 and 100% of the cost of CHW commodities did not vary with the number of home visits conducted; however, in Ethiopia, the majority of EAC associated with curative care varied with the number of visits conducted. The EAC of equipping CHWs to meet the needs of 95% of expectant mothers in a catchment area of 100 000 people was highest in Bolivia, $40 260 for 633 CHWs, due to mothers being in hard-to-reach areas with CHW conducting few visits per year per, and lowest in Tanzania ($2693 for 172 CHWs), due to the greater number of CHW visits per week and lower EAC of items. To inform and ensure sustainable implementation at scale, national discussions regarding the cadre of CHWs and their workload should also consider carefully the composition and cost of equipping CHWs to carry out their work effectively and efficiently.

It could be viral but you don't know, you have not diagnosed it: health worker challenges in managing non-malaria paediatric fevers in the low transmission area of Mbarara District, Uganda.

BACKGROUND: In 2012, Uganda initiated nationwide deployment of malaria rapid diagnostic tests (RDT) as recommended by national guidelines. Yet growing concerns about RDT non-compliance in various settings have spurred calls to deploy RDT as part of enhanced support packages. An understanding of how health workers currently manage non-malaria fevers, particularly for children, and challenges faced in this work should also inform efforts. METHODS: A qualitative study was conducted in the low transmission area of Mbarara District (Uganda). In-depth interviews with 20 health workers at lower level clinics focused on RDT perceptions, strategies to differentiate non-malaria paediatric fevers, influences on clinical decisions, desires for additional diagnostics, and any challenges in this work. Seven focus group discussions were conducted with caregivers of children under 5 years of age in facility catchment areas to elucidate their RDT perceptions, understandings of non-malaria paediatric fevers and treatment preferences. Data were extracted into meaning units to inform codes and themes in order to describe response patterns using a latent content analysis approach. RESULTS: Differential diagnosis strategies included studying fever patterns, taking histories, assessing symptoms, and analysing other factors such as a child's age or home environment. If no alternative cause was found, malaria treatment was reportedly often prescribed despite a negative result. Other reasons for malaria over-treatment stemmed from RDT perceptions, system constraints and provider-client interactions. RDT perceptions included mistrust driven largely by expectations of false negative results due to low parasite/antigen loads, previous anti-malarial treatment or test detection of only one species. System constraints included poor referral systems, working alone without opportunity to confer on difficult cases, and lacking skills and/or tools for differential diagnosis. Provider-client interactions included reported caregiver RDT mistrust, demand for certain drugs and desire to know the 'exact' disease cause if not malaria. Many health workers expressed uncertainty about how to manage non-malaria paediatric fevers, feared doing wrong and patient death, worried caregivers would lose trust, or felt unsatisfied without a clear diagnosis. CONCLUSIONS: Enhanced support is needed to improve RDT adoption at lower level clinics that focuses on empowering providers to successfully manage non-severe, non-malaria paediatric fevers without referral. This includes building trust in negative results, reinforcing integrated care initiatives (e.g., integrated management of childhood illness) and fostering communities of practice according to the diffusion of innovations theory.

Incremental cost of increasing access to maternal health care services: perspectives from a demand and supply side intervention in Eastern Uganda.

INTRODUCTION: High maternal and infant mortality continue to be major challenges to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals for many low and middle-income countries. There is now evidence that voucher initiatives can increase access to maternal health services. However, a dearth of knowledge exists on the cost implications of voucher schemes. This paper estimates the incremental costs of a demand and supply side intervention aimed at increasing access to maternal health care services. METHODS: This costing study was part of a quasi-experimental voucher study conducted in two districts in Eastern Uganda to explore the impact of demand and supply - side incentives on increasing access to maternal health services. The provider's perspective was used and the ingredients approach to costing was employed. Costs were based on market prices as recorded in program records. Total, unit, and incremental costs were calculated. RESULTS: The estimated total financial cost of the intervention for the one year of implementation was US$525,472 (US$1 = 2200UgShs). The major cost drivers included costs for transport vouchers (35.3%), health system strengthening (29.2%) and vouchers for maternal health services (18.2%). The average cost of transport per woman to and from the health facility was US$4.6. The total incremental costs incurred on deliveries (excluding caesarean section) was US$317,157 and US$107,890 for post natal care (PNC). The incremental costs per additional delivery and PNC attendance were US$23.9 and US$7.6 respectively. CONCLUSION: Subsidizing maternal health care costs through demand and supply - side initiatives may not require significant amounts of resources contrary to what would be expected. With Uganda's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) per capita of US$55` (2012), the incremental cost per additional delivery (US$23.9) represents about 5% of GDP per capita to save a mother and probably her new born. For many low income countries, this may not be affordable, yet reliance on donor funding is often not sustainable. Alternative ways of raising additional resources for health must be explored. These include; encouraging private investments in critical sectors such as rural transport, health service provision; mobilizing households to save financial resources for preparedness, and financial targeting for the most vulnerable.

Exploring new health markets: experiences from informal providers of transport for maternal health services in Eastern Uganda.

BACKGROUND: Although a number of intermediate transport initiatives have been used in some developing countries, available evidence reveals a dearth of local knowledge on the effect of these rural informal transport mechanisms on access to maternal health care services, the cost of implementing such schemes and their scalability. This paper, attempts to provide insights into the functioning of the informal transport markets in facilitating access to maternal health care. It also demonstrates the role that higher institutions of learning can play in designing projects that can increase the utilization of maternal health services. OBJECTIVES: To explore the use of intermediate transport mechanisms to improve access to maternal health services, with emphasis on the benefits and unintended consequences of the transport scheme, as well as challenges in the implementation of the scheme. METHODS: This paper is based on the pilot phase to inform a quasi experimental study aimed at increasing access to maternal health services using demand and supply side incentives. The data collection for this paper included qualitative and quantitative methods that included focus group interviews, review of project documents and facility level data. RESULTS: There was a marked increase in attendance of antenatal, and delivery care services, with the contracted transporters playing a leading role in mobilizing mothers to attend services. The project also had economic spill-over effects to the transport providers, their families and community generally. However, some challenges were faced including difficulty in setting prices for paying transporters, and poor enforcement of existing traffic regulations. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The findings indicate that locally existing resources such as motorcycle riders, also known as "boda boda" can be used innovatively to reduce challenges caused by geographical inaccessibility and a poor transport network with resultant increases in the utilization of maternal health services. However, care must be taken to mobilize the resources needed and to ensure that there is enforcement of laws that will ensure the safety of clients and the transport providers themselves.