Kliniken &… Institute Heidelberger Institut… Groups & Projects Working Groups Research Health service…

Patterns of health service utilization and household health expenditure in rural Bangladesh

Principal investigator: Manuela De Allegri, IPH Heidelberg

Funding: Rockefeller Foundation & USAID

Partners:
Prof. Malabika Sarker, James P. Grant School of Public Health, Dhaka, Bangladesh
BRAC Health Program, Dhaka, Bangladesh

Project description:
In 2013, with funding from the Rockefeller Foundation, the James P. Grant School of Public Health, with support from the team in Health Economics and Financing at IPH, conducted a household survey to assess patterns of health service utilization and household expenditure among poor rural populations in Bangladesh. The survey was conducted as part of the baseline assessment preceding the launch of a social health protection initiative to be led by BRAC Health Program, which is likely to be launched at the end of 2014/beginning of 2015.

Within the broader team of researchers working on the survey data, the team in Heidelberg is currently responsible for analyses pertaining to: a. exploring patterns of health service utilization and household health expenditure for chronic non-communicable diseases (this analysis is made possible thanks to a fellowship made available by USAID); b. assessing the influence of membership in a micro-finance scheme on health service utilization and household health expenditure (with a specific focus on children’s access to care). In addition, the team in Heidelberg supports the overall analysis of survey data and is planning two complementary qualitative studies to explain and expand the findings emerging from the analysis of the survey data. The qualitative studies should take place in late 2014/early 2015.

Status: ongoing

Contact: Manuela De Allegri (manuela.de.allegri@urz.uni-heidelberg.de)