Improving the efficient use of national resources: A cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) exercise to guide the Ministry of Health’s decisions

The incidence of and resulting deaths from malaria globally have decreased in recent years with the help of malaria control programmes, but the economic impact of malaria is still estimated to cost the African continent $12 billion every year. Direct costs of malaria include a combination of personal and public expenditure on both prevention and treatment of the disease. Malaria also leads to indirect costs, including: loss of productivity or income associated with illness and deaths; debilitation of children’s schooling and social development; and the deterrence of investment and tourism. All of these factors contribute to the reduction of economic growth – malaria is responsible for a growth penalty of up to 1.3% per year in some African countries.

Malaria-endemic countries must decide how much of their limited resources to allocate towards national policies tackling the economic burden of malaria. Mozambique records the third-highest number of malaria cases anywhere in the world, or 5% of all cases globally (WHO, 2018). It is the leading cause of death in Mozambique, accounting for 39% of deaths in children aged 5 and under. The objective of this project is to support Mozambique’s National Institute of Health at the Ministry of Health by implementing a cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) of existing malaria control policies, demonstrating which programmes are resourceful and sustainable solutions.

This project consists of two phases:

1. Gather data on costs, health benefits, the number of malaria cases, and measurements indicating disease burden, such as Disability-Adjusted Life Years (DALYs).
2. Conduct a CEA by comparing different interventions. This will subsequently identify which policies could have the most positive widespread impact on health outcomes, to determine effective funding allocation towards various malaria control strategies, therefore improving the economic growth, of Mozambique.