13. Health Economics and Financing

Overview

This module introduces participants to the role of health economics and financing in supporting malaria policy and programme decisions. Participants explore how modelling and economic evidence can inform prioritisation, resource allocation, and investment decisions in resource-constrained settings.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this module, participants should be able to:

Explain how economic evidence can support policy and programme decisions
Identify what information is needed to assess affordability, sustainability, and value for money
Understand how modelling can inform funding allocations and investment strategies

Key Concepts

Cost-effectiveness and value for money
Resource allocation and prioritisation
Affordability and sustainability
Investment cases and advocacy
Economic interpretation of modelling outputs

Delivery Plan

This module consists of one 3-hour session, with extension of the practical activity into the Capstone Project group work time.

Topic	Description	Duration	Format
Introduction to Health Economics	Why economics matters in programme decision-making Core concepts in health economics Economic evaluation DALYs and QALYs	45 min	Presentation
Further Analyses	Return on investment and investment cases Budget impact analysis Resource optimisation and allocation	30 min	Presentation
Models, Costs, and Outcomes	Perspectives Costing Discounting and inflation	30 min	Presentation
Case Study	Economics of malaria elimination	30 min	Presentation and plenary discussion
Group Exercise	Application of health economics to Capstone Projects	30-60 min	Small group exercise
Reflection and Wrap-Up	Key lessons for financing and prioritisation decisions Using economic evidence for advocacy and investment Balancing impact, feasibility, and affordability	15 min	Presentation

Practical Exercise

Exercise Title: Health economic for decision-making

Instructions:

For the modelling question(s) in your Capstone Project, discuss the following:

What is the budget context of your setting (total budget, annual budget, intervention budget)?
What economic analyses would you want to be conducted? What outcomes would be of interest?
Map the costs associated with these analyses.
Go through the CHEERS checklist, completing items in the methods sections
Does your country have a WTP threshold? How would this influence decision-making?

Note on timing: This exercise can be incorporated into the main Health Economics session and continued in the Capstone Project group work session, if more time is needed.

Facilitator Guidance

Focus on practical interpretation rather than technical economic methods
Reinforce that economic evidence supports—not replaces—policy judgement
Encourage discussion on operational realities and funding constraints
Use relatable programme examples and investment cases

Practical reflections from delivering the inaugural cohort

We allocated a 3-hour session to this module, which allowed us to cover the core concepts. However, this topic was new to most fellows and was of particular interest—feedback indicated that there was appetite for more health economic content. In future iterations, we recommend extending the session or adding an additional follow-up session to allow for deeper engagement with the material and more time for group exercises and discussion.

Materials and Resources

Facilitator slides
Case study