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Africa: Malaria Care Improves with Cash

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Africa: Malaria Care Improves With Cash http://allafrica.com/stories/201304250118.html A question had been nagging at Ghanaian researcher Alexander Nartey.
Since Ghana’s government had made health insurance available to the country’s poor to ease the burden of health care, why were so many people still paying cash, including those seeking basic treatment for malaria?
The Ghanaian government in 2003 introduced its National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS), which Nartey called a “pro-poor policy” to help those less likely to be able to pay for health care. The British charity Oxfam in a 2011 report found a number of problems with the scheme, calling it “severely flawed”, but Nartey was focusing on one key question: why weren’t more poor using it when the premium was less than U.S.$10 per year?
With the support of the Dodowa Health Research Centre in Ghana, Nartey set out to find the answer. Because of his research, the American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene (ASTMH) included him in its Young Investigator Awards last year, giving him international recognition by his peers and a $250 cash award.
What Nartey discovered was what he said was a problem within Ghana’s health system - namely a delay in care. Those who used health insurance generally waited longer to receive treatment - standing in line or sitting on a bench until their turn came - but if they paid out of pocket they were treated much quicker.
This, Nartey said, particularly made a difference when people were seeking treatment for malaria. In a 2010 report, Ghana’s Ministry of Health attributed the illness to 33 percent of deaths among children under five and nine percent of maternal deaths - two groups that are especially vulnerable to the parasite.
Most people initially self-treat for malaria and can’t afford high-quality medications, Nartey said. They will go to a “chemical shop” or pharmacy

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