Socioeconomic Aspects of Malaria Control

The book investigates treatment seeking behavior and the potential of encouraging effective treatment with prepayment schemes as a strategy in the control of malaria. Early detection, prompt and effective treatment are still the most effective ways of managing malaria in most endemic areas but all these means are hindered by scarcity of resources. Low health care expenditure in many developing countries is associated with limited tax revenue and budget stringencies. User charges have undesirable equity effects and debt financing is unsustainable. The above suggest a need for alternative approach to financing health care in general and to financing preventive diseases in particular to reduce their burden. This book shed light on household malaria treatment seeking behavior and the factors affecting the choice of treatment options under a user fees scheme as well as ex ante demand for malaria care under a prepayment scheme. This book should be useful to anyone interested in understanding the social and economic aspects of malaria and the potential benefits of using financing policies towards the control of malaria as well as other tropical diseases in developing countries.