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Sue Cleary, an Associate Professor at the Health Economics Unit gave a presentation titled ‘health economics and decision-making in HIV treatment’ at a University of Cape Town seminar on 13 June 2012.

She cited work she had completed in 2002 for her PhD project where she worked on an MSF pilot study in several South African public health hospitals and clinics with Professor Di McIntyre. She gathered data to do a cost effectiveness analysis of HIV treatment alternatives. Cost effectiveness is one of the most commonly used techniques in economic evaluation of health care programmes.

She was able to compare the health care costs and outcomes of clinics that were treating HIV-positive patients with ARV, with those who were treating HIV-positive patients without ARV.

Subsequent to her research in economic evaluation she has provided policy input that has been considered in HIV/AIDS policy formulation and decision-making.

Speaking about the value judgements economists have to make when interpreting cost effectiveness results, she recalled the importance of always asking, “what do our actions mean on the ground?”

Read more about her work in AIDS and cost effectiveness: http://heu-uct.org.za/about-heu/staff/dr-susan-cleary/

Host A/Prof Linda-Gail Bekker (Desmond Tutu HIV Centre) introduces A/Prof Sue Cleary (Health Economics Unit) before her presentation.