Comments on Zambian Economist: Delivering good health on the cheap

Cho, I agree with you GRZ needs to begin to value ...

2012-01-26T05:34:58.386Z

Cho, I agree with you GRZ needs to begin to value every Kwacha as an insurance against the gloomy global economic forecast which could well cause copper prices and donor aid to fall. Prioritising solutions is complex though and we learn in holistic management that all decisions must always been balanced between economic, social and environmental factors over the short and long term if they are to stand the test of time. The treated bed net was a cheap panacea solution that could well lead to a worse situation in the long run as resistance to treatment increases and natural immunity decreases. see http://www.thelancet.com/journals/laninf/article/PIIS1473-3099(11)70194-3/abstract
I am suggesting that to help get the prioroties right GRZ will have to adopt a very sound framework that considers more than the economic factors.

Keep up the great work, only ideas will nurture a stable future in these challenging times

I think one of the key things that Government has ...

2012-01-24T20:38:16.097Z

I think one of the key things that Government has to look at is appropriate prioritisation. It strikes me that the balance of spending across various health priorities is not always right. The example on the huge benefits of tackling malaria on the cheap is a case in point.

It works both ways. Improved health can improve th...

2012-01-24T08:46:53.456Z

It works both ways. Improved health can improve the economy.
Its not that long back that on any day in the rainy season at least 25% of the work force was absent due to being sick with malaria, caring for a sick child or spouse, or attending a funeral of someone who died of malaria.
Now that we have hardly any malaria (at least where I live) the productivity is 25% more. This applies to both employed and self employed people. I think the productivity increase is more than the cost of house spraying and nets by far.