For our research, understanding the barriers that prevent equitable access to healthcare is crucial. A recent study, conducted as part of our collaborative research consortium, sheds light on the challenges faced by the poorest communities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan, especially regarding primary healthcare access. In October 2024, the study was published in the International Journal of Equity in Health, a renowned and peer-reviewed public health journal.
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A Step Forward – Official Launch of the OPD Pilot Project
On October 24, 2024, the Social Health Protection (SHP) Program, KfW Development Bank, and State Life Insurance Corporation of Pakistan formalised their collaboration with the signing of a contract to launch the Outpatient Department (OPD) Pilot Project. This event marks a critical step in a long period of preparation and negotiation and the official beginning of this important initiative.
Continue readingNew evidence on changes in outpatient-care utilisation and out-of-pocket expenditures in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP)
The most recent wave of the household panel survey which is organised by the population panel working group of our research consortium provides interesting new insights on rising healthcare costs and how they impacted health care utilization in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan.
Continue readingPopulation panel: First wave of data collection completed
We are happy that the field work of the population panel group started successfully in the end of January 2022. As part of the research consortium for the SHPI Phase 2, the population panel group assesses eligible households’ health conditions and needs, their health care services utilization, and their preferences concerning the design of the outpatient department (OPD) insurance scheme.
Continue readingBackground: the Social Health Protection Initiative
What is SHPI?
In Pakistan, where more than 48 million people live under the national poverty line, health-related expenditures are a major cause of economic shock for poor families. More than half of all the money spent on health comes out of patients’ own pockets. In the absence of social health protection schemes which make health services affordable, many of Pakistan’s poorest citizens simply do not seek care when they fall ill.
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