Health and wellbeing

Funded by the Wellcome Trust, this project involved an integrated analysis of health system capabilities and effects on population health in Malawi and Eastern, Central, and Southern Africa. 

Ultimately, the project aims to build a detailed and theoretically principled simulation model that will couple a 'Healthcare Production Module' with an agent-based 'Epidemiological Module' to result in health gains.

This program is exploring how the currently available resources (budgets and non-financial resources) for health can be used to generate the greatest health gains. How can greater gains be achieved with more financial resources? How should the healthcare system adapt in response to the evolving burdens of diseases?

Developing the tools and evidence needed to address neglected tropical diseases in East and Southern Africa.

Thanzi Labwino (TLab) will contribute towards the broader ambition of the Thanzi la Onse (Health of All) research programme, to improve population health and reduce health inequalities in East and West Africa by supporting cost-effective and equitable investments in disease elimination.

TLab is creating:

1. Novel, robust and relevant health economic evidence generated on investments in disease elimination
2. Stronger partnerships established between academic, policy, and community stakeholders to c-learn, inform and disseminate new knowledge on disease elimination
3. Improved capability to generate, interpret and use health economic evidence to inform their disease elimination and resource allocation decisions.

This project aims to:

• determine which non-HIV health services would be efficient to co-deliver with HIV care
• determine which services to include in eSwatini’s health benefit package to maximise population health under resource constraints
• assess trade-offs between service efficiency vs resilience to exogenous shocks

The research team combines expertise in modelling, health economics, implementation science, and eSwatini’s health sector (including the Director of Planning for MoH).

Created in collaboration with the New York University School of Medicine; ECSA Health Community; University of Eswatini; Ministry of Health (Eswatini); and the University of York. This global health economics network is for furthering research, capability building and policy.

The network aims to:

• continue the Thanzi Programme focus on Africa (ECSA and WAHO regions), plus pan-continental engagement by continuing discussions with the African Union /NEPAD
• build interest, initiate, and expand activities in the COMISCA region;
• explore and seek funding opportunities for activities in SIDS, other world regions (South Asia, MENA, and BRICS) and with populations in humanitarian need