Evidence map›Paper›PMID 34928450›Full record

ReviewHealth economics review2021

Supporting strategic health purchasing: a case study of annual health budgets from general tax revenue and social health insurance in Abia state, Nigeria.

Chinyere Mbachu, Chinyere Okeke, Chinonso Obayi, Agnes Gatome-Munyua, Nkechi Olalere, Ikechi Ogbonna, Benjamin Uzochukwu, Obinna Onwujekwe

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Health economics review, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
4citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

4 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Review
  3. Article
  4. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Chinyere MbachuHealth Policy Research Group, College of Medicine University of Nigeria, Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu, Nigeria. chinyere.mbachu@unn.edu.ng.ORCID http://orcid.org/0000-0003-3936-6184
Chinyere OkekeHealth Policy Research Group, College of Medicine University of Nigeria, Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu, Nigeria.
Chinonso ObayiDepartment of Community Medicine, College of Medicine University of Nigeria, Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu, Nigeria.
Agnes Gatome-MunyuaStrategic Purchasing Africa Resource Center (SPARC), Nairobi, Kenya.
Nkechi OlalereStrategic Purchasing Africa Resource Center (SPARC), Nairobi, Kenya.
Ikechi OgbonnaAbia State Ministry of Health, Umuahia, Nigeria.
Benjamin UzochukwuHealth Policy Research Group, College of Medicine University of Nigeria, Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu, Nigeria.
Obinna OnwujekweHealth Policy Research Group, College of Medicine University of Nigeria, Ituku-Ozalla, Enugu, Nigeria.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundTracking general trends in strategic purchasing of health financing mechanisms will highlight where country demands may exist for technical support and where progress in being made that offer opportunities for regional learning. Health services in Abia State, Nigeria are funded from general tax-revenues (GTR), and a new state social health insurance scheme (SSHIS) is proposed to overcome the failings of the GTR and expand coverage of services. This study examined purchasing functions within the GTR and the proposed SSHIS to determine if the failings in GTR have been overcome, identify factors that shape health purchasing at sub-national levels, and provide lessons for other states in Nigeria pursuing a similar intervention.

methodsData was collected through document review and key informant interviews. Government documents were retrieved electronically from the websites of different organizations. Hard copies of paper-only files were retrieved from relevant government agencies and departments. Interviews were conducted with seven key personnel of the State Ministry of Health and State Health Insurance Agency. Thematic analysis of data was based on a strategic health purchasing progress tracking framework which delves into the governance arrangements and information architecture needed for purchasing to work well; and the core purchasing decisions of what to buy; who to buy from; and how to buy.

resultsThere are differences in the purchasing arrangements of the two schemes. Purchaser-provider split does not exist for the GTR, unlike in the proposed SSHIS. There are no data systems for monitoring provider performance in the GTR-funded system, unlike in the SSHIS. Whereas GTR is based on a historical budgeting system, the SSHIS proposes to use a defined benefit package, which ensures value-for-money, as the basis for resource allocation. The GTR lacks private sector engagement, provider accreditation and contracting arrangements while the SSHIS will accredit and engage private providers through selective contracting. Likewise, provider payment is not linked to performance or adherence to established standards in the GTR, whereas provider payment will be linked to performance in the SSHIS.

conclusionsThe State Social Health Insurance has been designed to overcome many of the limitations of the budgetary allocation to health. This study provides insights into the enabling and constraining factors that can be used to develop interventions intended to strengthen the strategic health purchasing in the study area, and lessons for the other Nigeria states with similar characteristics and approaches.

Indexed as

Annual budgetsSHPSocial health insuranceStrategic health purchasing

Identifiers

PMID34928450
PMCPMC8690461

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.