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Economic Evaluation of Health Interventions: Tanzania Perspectives

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Handbook of Disease Burdens and Quality of Life Measures

Abstract:

The life expectancy of Tanzania has declined since 1990, and the health care services are facing immense challenges. The two single most important sources of burden of disease in the country are HIV/AIDS and malaria. Cardiovascular and other non-communicable diseases are also becoming increasingly important causes of disease burden. This chapter reviews the available economic evaluation literature for all types of health interventions in Tanzania. Economic evaluation is useful for setting health care priorities when decision makers are concerned about producing as much health benefits as possible within the limits of scarce health care resources.

A total of 23 studies were found reporting costs and benefits for health interventions in Tanzania. The studies included in the review can roughly be sorted into the disease groups malaria, HIV/AIDS, maternal and perinatal health, intestinal parasites and worms, tuberculosis (TB), childhood diseases and cardiovascular disorders. The economic evaluation evidence for Tanzania is generally very scarce. Evidence is relatively good for malaria interventions and interventions against intestinal worms and parasites. Within these disease groups economic evaluation can be particularly useful to inform implementation policy. For all other disease groups, evidence is either vastly insufficient or totally missing. Lack of evidence is particularly striking for treatment and care of patients with HIV/AIDS, and for non-communicable diseases. Economic evaluation can in most cases not be used efficiently and consistently to set health care priorities in Tanzania. More research is needed to improve this situation.

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Abbreviations

AIDS:

acquired immunodeficiency syndrome

AL:

artemether-lumefantrine

AMMP:

adult mortality and morbidity project

AQ:

amodiaquine

ARV:

antiretroviral

AS:

artesunate

ASA:

aspirin

BET:

betablocker

BOD:

burden of disease

CAB:

calcium channel blocker

CER:

cost-effectiveness ratio

CMH:

commission on macroeconomics and health

CV:

cardiovascular

DALY:

disability adjusted life year

DEC:

diethylcarbamazine

DIU:

diuretic

DOT:

directly observed treatment

EbyC:

evacuation by curettage

EPI:

expanded programme for immunization

GDP:

gross domestic product

HIV:

human immunodeficiency virus

ICER:

incremental cost-effectiveness ratio

IMCI:

integrated management of childhood illness

ITN:

insecticide treated bednets

LY:

life year

MVA:

manual vacuum aspiration

NBS:

National Bureau of Statistics

ORS:

oral rehydration solution

PMTCT:

prevention of mother to child transmission

POC:

point of care testing

RPR:

rapid plasma reagin testing

SP:

sulfadoxine-pyrimethamine

SSA:

Sub Saharan Africa

STA:

statin

STD:

sexually transmitted diseases

TB:

tuberculosis

TNVS:

Tanzania National Voucher Scheme

USD:

United States dollars

VCT:

voluntary counseling and testing

WHO:

World Health Organization

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Acknowledgments

We thank Ole Frithjof Norheim and Kjell Arne Johansson for peer review of the manuscript and Julia Norman for proofreading.

Authors
  1. B. Robberstad
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  2. Yusuf Hemed
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Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. Nutrition and Dietetics Nutritional Sciences Research Division School of Biomedical & Health Sciences, King's College London, Franklin‐Wilkins Building 150 Stamford Street, SE1 9NH, London, UK

    Victor R. Preedy (Prof.) (Prof.)

  2. Mel and Enid Zuckerman College of Public Health, University of Arizona, Health Science Center 1295 N. Martin, P.O. Box 245155, 85724-5155, Tucson, AZ

    Ronald R. Watson (Prof.) (Prof.)

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Robberstad, B., Hemed, Y. (2010). Economic Evaluation of Health Interventions: Tanzania Perspectives. In: Preedy, V.R., Watson, R.R. (eds) Handbook of Disease Burdens and Quality of Life Measures. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-78665-0_33

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-0-387-78665-0_33

  • Publisher Name: Springer, New York, NY

  • Print ISBN: 978-0-387-78664-3

  • Online ISBN: 978-0-387-78665-0

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