Working to Advance
Health Equity in Africa

Economic evaluation of the Nompilo Project

Economic evaluation of the Nompilo Project

Overview:

This project undertakes an economic evaluation of the Nompilo Project run by the Centre for Rural Health-University of KwaZulu-Natal (CRH-UKZN). The objective of the Nompilo Project was to assess the effectiveness of an HIV-adapted CCM training package for community caregivers who are supported with enhanced quality improvement, supervision and mentoring in order to increase the uptake of essential maternal, newborn and child survival interventions. This was achieved by implementing a double arm matched randomised control trial (RCT) in Ugu Health District in south-western KwaZulu-Natal between April 2012 and May 2013.

Objectives:

To assess the cost-effectiveness of an HIV-adapted CCM package for community caregivers, supported with enhanced QI supervision and mentoring to increase uptake of essential maternal newborn and child survival interventions.

Methodological approach:

A retrospective cost-effectiveness analysis was conducted on a randomised control trial that was implemented by the Centre for Rural Health at the University of KwaZulu-0Natal in the Ugu Health District located in the province of KwaZulu-Natal during the period May 2012 – November 2013. This was a two armed matched randomised control trial which compares the cost-effectiveness of the training and supervision of CCGs provided by the KwaZulu-Natal provincial Department of Health in comparison to the HIV-adapted CCM training and CQI management and supervision of CCGs as implemented by CRH-UKZN. Community caregivers who exclusively underwent the Department of Health’s were represented in the control arm whilst the experimental CCG represented the intervention arm of the RCT. The study is an economic evaluation of the resources consumed in the operationalization of the intervention and is conducted from an implementer’s perspective. The health outcomes under consideration are the number of women with children under one year who are practicing exclusive breast feeding for at least 3 months.