Benefits of Scaling a Home-Based Neonatal Care Package in Rural India
2015
In 2011, India introduced a home-based newborn care (HBNC) package to be delivered by community health workers across rural areas. The authors estimate the disease and economic burden that could be averted by scaling up the HBNC in rural India using IndiaSim, an agent-based simulation model. Under one scenario, the existing community health worker network begins providing HBNC for rural households without access to home- or facility-based newborn care. In the second scenario, coverage of HBNC across India is increased such that total coverage of neonatal care (HBNC or otherwise) in the rural areas of each state reaches at least 90%. Compared with a baseline of no coverage, providing the care package through the existing network of community health workers could avert 48 incident cases of severe neonatal morbidity and 5 related deaths, save $4,411 (95% UR $3,088–$5,735) in out-of-pocket treatment costs, and provide $285 ($200–$371) in value of insurance per 1,000 live births in rural India. Increasing the coverage of HBNC to 90% was predicted to avert an additional 9 (7–12) incident cases, 1 death (0.72–1.33), and $613 ($430–$797) in out-of-pocket expenditures, and provide $55 ($39–$72) in incremental value of insurance per 1,000 live births. Intervention benefits would be even greater for lower socioeconomic groups and in the poorer states of Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Bihar, Assam and Uttar Pradesh.
Benefits of Scaling a Home-Based Neonatal Care Package in Rural India
Source:
Nandi A, Colson AR, Verma A et al. Health and Economic Benefits of Scaling Up a Home-Based Neonatal Care Package in Rural India: A Modelling Analysis. Health Policy and Planning 2015; 31 (5): 634-644. https://doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czv113