Projects

The HEU is strongly dedicated to health economics research with policy relevance. Current long-term research projects include the following:

• NRF – National Research Foundation South African Research Chair in Health and Wealth
• SHIELD – Strategies for Health Insurance for Equity in Less Developed Countries
• CREHS – Consortium for Research into Equitable Health Systems
• REACH – Researching Equity in Access to Health Care
• EQUINET – Regional Network for Equity in Health in East and Southern Africa
• Strengthening health policy analysis research and training
• Health Policy Analysis capacity development in Africa

Short-term research projects include:

• The cost of scaling up the integrated cervical cancer prevention programme in South Africa
• Economic analysis of an increased access to TB and HIV diagnosis, treatment and adherence support
• HIV/AIDS cost-effectiveness

Long-term Projects

NRF – National Research Foundation South African Research Chair in Health and Wealth

This programme of research is funded by the Department of Science and Technology and administered by the National Research Foundation’s South African Research Chair Initiative over the period 2008-2011. The overall research focus of the Chair is on the inter-play of health and wealth in the South African context and the impact of a range of government policies on health.

SHIELD – Strategies for Health Insurance for Equity in Less Developed Countries

The SHIELD project aims to identify the major equity challenges in the health systems of three African countries (Ghana, Tanzania and South Africa) through an understanding of financing and benefit incidence. The project runs from 2006 to 2010 and is part funded by the International Development Research Centre (IDRC) and the European Union. Knowledge generated will form the basis for considering alternate approaches to health insurance within these countries as a mechanism for addressing health system equity challenges and contributing to the achievement of the Millennium Development Goals.

CREHS – Consortium for Research into Equitable Health Systems

The HEU is part of a consortium of research groups from South Africa, Nigeria, Kenya, Tanzania, India and Thailand under the leadership of the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine with funding from the United Kingdom Government Department for International Development. The consortium aims to increase knowledge on how to strengthen health systems in ways that preferentially benefit the poorest and to strengthen the capacity of partners to support local and global policy development. Work under the four themes of health sector reform, financial risk protection, workforce performance and scaling up began in 2005 and will continue throughout 2010.

REACH – Researching Equity in Access to Health Care

This integrated program of research, capacity building and knowledge translation focuses on how health systems could contribute more effectively to achieving development goals by actively promoting equitable access to health care. This will be explored through the case of South Africa’s health system, focusing on three tracer health interventions of particular relevance to the Millennium Development Goals and which are crucial to addressing the burden of ill-health in South Africa. These are maternal health services and tuberculosis and HIV care. The HEU collaborates with the Center for Health Policy at the University of Witwatersrand and McMaster University in Canada in this Teasdale-Corti funded project which runs from 2007 to 2010.

EQUINET – Regional Network for Equity in Health in East and Southern Africa

The Health Economics Unit has been involved in EQUINET (the Regional network for Equity in health in east and southern Africa) since soon after its establishment in 1998. EQUINET is a network of health professionals, civil society members, academics, policy makers, state officials and others within the region who have come together as an equity catalyst, to promote and realise shared values of equity and social justice in health. The HEU has particularly contributed to work around equitable financing of health systems and equitable allocation of health care resources. Over the years, we have worked with countries such as Namibia, Tanzania, Zambia, Zimbabwe and more recently Mozambique, to develop resource allocation strategies based on the relative need for health care in each district.

Strengthening health policy analysis research and training through a focus on approaches to comparative and synthesis analyses

Professor Lucy Gilson coordinates this project to develop the methods for synthesising health policy analysis work, and existing empirical studies around key themes. The project runs from 2009 to 2011 and is funded by the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research.

Health Policy Analysis capacity development in Africa

The aim of this project is to strengthen health policy analysis training in Africa and involves curriculum development and short courses training in partnership with six research organisations in Africa. Professor Lucy Gilson is the leader of the first phase of this programme of work that runs from 2008 to 2010, with funding from the Ford Foundation.

Short-term Projects

The cost of scaling up the integrated cervical cancer prevention programme in South Africa

The aim of the research is to estimate future resource requirements for adding the human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV) to the existing screening programme to prevent cervical cancer in South Africa. Edina Sinanovic is the Principal Investigator on this project funded by PATH.

Economic analysis of an increased access to TB and HIV diagnosis, treatment and adherence support

This study aims to estimate cost and cost-effectiveness of integrated versus non-integrated community-based adherence support for patients on TB treatment and antiretroviral therapy (ART) in South Africa. The project is funded by PEPFAR. Edina Sinanovic is the Principal Investigator.

HIV/AIDS cost-effectiveness

Currently, two cost-effectiveness projects are underway.

• The first evaluates the cost-effectiveness of public, private and public-private partnerships in the delivery of antiretroviral treatment to HIV-infected adults in South Africa. Collaborators include the Division of Clinical Pharmacology, Department of Medicine, UCT; Aid for AIDS and Broadreach.
• The second assesses the cost-effectiveness of doctor versus nurse-based delivery of antiretroviral treatment to HIV-infected adults in South Africa. We work with the Desmond Tutu HIV Centre, UCT and AURUM Health Research.

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