Health ... Malaria
ASTMH (American Society of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene)

Title: Evaluating the costs of implementing a package of interventions and surveillance systems to support malaria elimination in Southern Province, Zambia: A micro-costing analysis

Burgess COMMENTARY

Peter Burgess

Session: Poster Session B Presentations and Light Lunch

Abstract Number: 881

Title: Evaluating the costs of implementing a package of interventions and surveillance systems to support malaria elimination in Southern Province, Zambia: A micro-costing analysis

Presentation Start: 10/27/2015 12:00:00 PM Presentation End: 10/27/2015 1:45:00 PM

Authors: Callie Scott1, Thandiwe Ngoma2, Bruce Larson3, Kafula Silumbe2, Busiku Hamainza4, Joshua Yukich5, John M. Miller2

• 1 PATH Malaria Control and Elimination Partnership in Africa, Seattle, WA, United States,

• 2 PATH Malaria Control and Elimination Partnership in Africa, Lusaka, Zambia,

• 3 Center for Global Health and Development, Boston University School of Public Health, Boston, MA, United States,

• 4 National Malaria Control Programme, Zambia Ministry of Health, Lusaka, Zambia,

• 5 Department of Global Health Systems and Development, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, LA, United States

Abstract: The Zambian Ministry of Health and partners are implementing several interventions and surveillance systems in Southern Province, Zambia, in support of the national malaria control and elimination agenda. These include:

• (1) long-lasting insecticide-treated net distribution;

• (2) indoor residual spraying;

• (3) rapid reporting of malaria surveillance indicators;

• (4) systematic case investigation with reactive focal testing and treatment using rapid diagnostic tests and artemether-lumefantrine; and

• (5) population-wide mass drug administration and household-level focal drug administration with dihydroartemisinin-piperaquine.

We are estimating the costs of implementing these interventions and surveillance systems in 173 health facility catchment areas in ten districts in Southern Province in 2014-2015.

Costs are being estimated from the providers’ perspective using an ingredients-based approach.

Data on resource utilization (labor, equipment, drugs, diagnostics, and other supplies), unit prices, and intervention and surveillance system outputs are being collected from programmatic records, interviews with program managers and staff, and other sources to estimate implementation costs and cost drivers for each intervention and surveillance system.

This information will be useful for budgeting and planning; identifying opportunities to improve program efficiency; and informing additional analyses on the cost-effectiveness and budget impact of different approaches to malaria elimination.