Health system productivity in sub-Saharan Africa: tuberculosis control in high burden countries.

Background: Sixteen of the 30 countries with a high tuberculosis (TB) burden are in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). Over 25% of TB deaths occur in the Africa region. This study aims to estimate the productivity changes of TB programs in 16 SSA countries where TB is endemic.

Impacts of unconditional cash transfers on health care utilisation in informal sector households in Togo.

Background: Most Togolese population earns their income from informal sector, and they are very often exposed to health outcomes. Cash transfers impact healthcare utilization by improving household's social capital, socio-economic status, lifestyle choice, and physical health. The aim of this paper was to analyse the impact of unconditional cash transfers on health care utilisation in informal sector households.

Effets de la COVID-19 sur la variation du revenu et la sécurité alimentaire des ménages au Togo.

L'objectif de ce papier est d'analyser les effets de la COVID-19 sur la variation des revenus, la modification de la consommation alimentaire et les stratégies d'adaptations des ménages au Togo. Pour se faire, les modèles probit et logit multinomiale ont été utilisés en se basant sur des données collectées auprès de 1405 ménages dans 44 districts des 6 régions sanitaires. Les résultats révèlent que les ménages dans lesquels le chef a perdu son emploi sont plus exposés à une baisse de revenu et donc à une réduction de leur consommation alimentaire pendant la pandémie.

Does the type of health insurance enrollment affect provider choice, utilization and health care expenditures?

Background: Two of the objectives of Universal Health Coverage are equity in access to health services and protection from financial risks. This paper seeks to examine whether the type of health insurance enrollment affects the utilization of health services, choice of provider and financial protection of households in Togo.

Methods: Data were obtained from a cross-sectional, representative household survey involving 1180 insured households that had reported either illness in the household in the 4 weeks preceding the survey or hospitalization in the 12 months preceding the survey.

Socio-economic inequality in maternal health care utilization in Sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence from Togo.

Introduction: Despite improvements in health care in Togo, the maternal mortality rate remains high, and regional antenatal care and facility-based deliveries are limited. The aim of this study is to measure socioe-conomic inequality in maternal health care (MHC) utilization during pregnancy and delivery.

Method: The data were obtained from the last two rounds of the 1998 and 2013 Togo Demographic and Health Survey.

Women's empowerment and fertility preferences in high fertility countries in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Background: Nearly all countries with fertility levels of more than five children per woman are in Sub-Saharan Africa. Prestige, insurance in old age, and replacement in case of child deaths are related to preferences for large families. In this paper, we examine the association between women's empowerment and fertility preferences of married women aged 35 years and above in four high fertility Francophone Sub-Saharan Africa (FSSA) countries, namely Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger and Chad.

Health shocks in sub-Saharan Africa: are the poor and uninsured households more vulnerable?

Background: In developing countries, health shock is one of the most common idiosyncratic income shock and the main reason why households fall into poverty. Empirical research has shown that in these countries, households are unable to access formal insurance markets in order to insure their consumption against health shocks. Thus, in this study, are the poor and uninsured households more vulnerable from health shocks? We investigate the factors that lead to welfare loss from health shocks, and how to break the vulnerability from health shocks in three Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) countries, namely, Burkina Faso, Niger and Togo.

Extension of mandatory health insurance to informal sector workers in Togo.

Background: About 90.4% of Togolese workers operate in the informal sector and account for between 20 and 30% of Togo's Gross Domestic Product. Despite their importance in the Togolese economy, informal sector workers (ISW) do not have a health insurance scheme.

Porous safety net: catastrophic health expenditure and its determinants among insured households in Togo.

Background: In Togo, about half of health care costs are paid at the point of service, which reduces access to health care and exposes households to catastrophic health expenditure (CHE). To address this situation, the Togolese government introduced a National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in 2011. This insurance currently covers only employees and retirees of the State as well as their dependents, although plans for extension exist.

Sustaining Gains in Health Programs: Technical Efficiency and its Determinants in Malaria Programs in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Background: Since the year 2000, Africa has made significant progress in the fight against malaria. Between 2000 and 2015, the incidence and death from malaria fell by 42 and 66%, respectively. However, the African region still accounts for most global cases of malaria.