By using this site, you agree to the Privacy Policy and Terms of Use.
Accept
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
  • Health
    • Mental Health
    Health
    Healthcare organizations are operating on slimmer profit margins than ever. One report in August showed that they are even lower than the beginning of the…
    Show More
    Top News
    physical health
    5 Ways Playing Games Can Improve Neural and Physical Health
    September 9, 2022
    Reasons For Hair Loss and Its Treatment
    Reasons For Hair Loss and Its Treatment
    February 16, 2022
    healthcare organization
    5 Actionable Strategies For Healthcare Organizations
    August 15, 2022
    Latest News
    Beyond Nutrition: Everyday Foods That Support Whole-Body Health
    June 15, 2025
    The Wide-Ranging Benefits of Magnesium Supplements
    June 11, 2025
    The Best Home Remedies for Migraines
    June 5, 2025
    The Hidden Impact Of Stress On Your Body’s Alignment And Balance
    May 22, 2025
  • Policy and Law
    • Global Healthcare
    • Medical Ethics
    Policy and Law
    Get the latest updates about Insurance policies and Laws in the Healthcare industry for different geographical locations.
    Show More
    Top News
    Neeraj Arora, PhD
    Patient-Centered Research at the National Cancer Institute
    April 29, 2014
    Telemedicine: CY 2015 MPFS Reportage and Dangers of the Echo Chamber
    November 17, 2014
    Information-Based Careers for Lab Scientists
    November 25, 2015
    Latest News
    When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
    June 18, 2025
    Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
    June 15, 2025
    Strengthening Healthcare Systems Through Clinical and Administrative Career Development
    June 13, 2025
    Building Smarter Care Teams: Aligning Roles, Structure, and Clinical Expertise
    May 18, 2025
  • Medical Innovations
  • News
  • Wellness
  • Tech
Search
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Reading: Really Oxfam? Really?
Share
Notification Show More
Font ResizerAa
Health Works CollectiveHealth Works Collective
Font ResizerAa
Search
Follow US
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
© 2023 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
Health Works Collective > Policy & Law > Global Healthcare > Really Oxfam? Really?
Global Healthcare

Really Oxfam? Really?

Amanda Glassman
Last updated: August 26, 2017 12:32 pm
Amanda Glassman
Share
5 Min Read
SHARE

Oxfam hasn’t let pesky little things like representative household surveys and impact evaluation results get in the way of their condemnation of Ghana’s health insurance program. The organization recently issued a strongly worded report described by one web site as “Oxfam damns health insurance scheme.” As these things go, the Oxfam report was then picked up uncritically by The Guardian’s Sarah Boseley. Oxfam says that the coverage of the Ghanaian national insurance scheme is hugely exaggerated, that it is costly and unfair, that it does not benefit the poor and that it has no impact on financial protection against out of pocket spending on health care. Based on these arguments, the report demands that insurance be eliminated and public monies go back to traditional budgets to finance inputs. Unfortunately, the data and evaluation that is publicly available from gold standard sources is ignored or dismissed. A March 2010 quasi-experimental impact evaluation by Joseph Mensah and colleagues finds that women who are health insurance beneficiaries are much more likely to give birth in a hospital, be attended by a trained professional at birth, receive pre-natal care, experience fewer birth complications and fewer infant deaths. Never mind that Mensah is a professor at York University and has a good quality data set in the UNICEF-sponsored 2008 Multi-Indicator Cluster Survey. Never mind that the purpose of an impact evaluation is to illustrate the results of an intervention in comparison to a counterfactual (i.e., no insurance – the state that Oxfam thinks Ghanaians should go). See here. Although Oxfam reports that only 18% of the population is enrolled in the insurance scheme, the nationally representative 2008 Demographic and Health Survey reports that 39% of women and 30% of men ages 15-49 report that they are enrolled in the insurance scheme. If we count their children, the proportion of the population covered increases substantially. About 90% of both groups report having a card. Unsurprisingly given that formal sector employees are automatically enrolled based on their salary contributions, about half of insurance enrollees are in the top two wealth quintiles while the other half are below the poverty line. Eighty-two percent of beneficiaries report that they were satisfied with the quality of service. While it is not possible to establish causality using the descriptive data from the DHS, the pace of under-5 and neonatal mortality decline has accelerated since 2003 (introduction year of insurance) when compared to the 1998-2003 period. In terms of financial protection from impoverishing out of pocket spending on health care, findings from a recent study by Rajkotia and co-authors finds a significantly positive financial protection effect of health insurance in Ghana. The effect is stronger among the poor than among general population. Based on the data and evaluation available, I would advise the government of Ghana to enroll a greater proportion of its poor into the insurance scheme. I would certainly not advise the dissolution of the insurance scheme. Every health system –insurance or otherwise- is a balancing act between the health care benefits covered and effectively delivered, the financing available and the size, poverty status and demands of the population. No system is perfect. If Ghana does not have the fiscal or donor resources to expand to all of the poor in the near-term given the current level of benefits, it should modify the scope of the benefits plan. Certainly, unwarranted administrative costs should be examined. Part of the oil windfall could be saved to smooth spending on insurance from year to year to assure that external shocks do not affect insurance coverage. But it pains me to see an international NGO judging a developing country government’s efforts to provide health care and financial protection to its population in such pejorative and unscientific terms. It is seriously irresponsible to advise a government to destroy a functioning and apparently well-performing health system. I hope Oxfam’s funders will take note.

TAGGED:global health care
Share This Article
Facebook Copy Link Print
Share
By Amanda Glassman
As a healthcare blogger and author, I have been writing about the latest developments in the medical field for over 10 years. My work has been featured on various online publications, including Healthline and WebMD. I am passionate about educating people on how to stay healthy through proper nutrition and exercise practices. In addition to my blog posts, I have also authored several books that focus on health topics such as dieting tips, disease prevention strategies, and mental health awareness initiatives. My goal is to provide readers with reliable information so they can make informed decisions regarding their well-being.

Stay Connected

1.5kFollowersLike
4.5kFollowersFollow
2.8kFollowersPin
136kSubscribersSubscribe

Latest News

scientist using microscope
When Healthcare Ends, the Legal Process Begins: What Families Should Know About Probate and Medical Estates
Global Healthcare
June 18, 2025
How Therapy Can Improve Your Mental Health and Daily Life
How Therapy Can Improve Your Mental Health and Daily Life
Mental Health
June 18, 2025
healthcare facilities
Preventing Contamination In Healthcare Facilities Starts With Hygiene
Global Healthcare Infographics
June 15, 2025
from gut to glow
From Plate to Wellness: How Everyday Foods Nourish Your Body Inside and Out
Dental health Infographics Specialties
June 15, 2025

You Might also Like

Global HealthcareHealth careMedical Ethics

Here’s How The Body Deals With Pain – And How You Can Treat Yours

December 31, 2018
how to avoid healthcare fraud
Global HealthcarePolicy & Law

How to Spot (and Avoid) Healthcare Fraud

May 24, 2022

Famous Baby Photographer to Help Give Babies in Developing Countries a “Shot@Life”

May 13, 2012
Global HealthcareHealth carePolicy & LawPublic Health

Dental Practice Challenges in Countries with Universal Healthcare Systems

March 27, 2018
Subscribe
Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!
Follow US
© 2008-2025 HealthWorks Collective. All Rights Reserved.
  • About
  • Contact
  • Privacy
Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Username or Email Address
Password

Lost your password?