HAD7001H-F

N/A

This reading course examines how health economics is applied in low-and middle-income countries.

The course will examine the following specific topics:

• The complex disease burden in low- and middle-income countries;
• The bi-directional relationship between economic growth and health;
• The intersections between the disciplines of development economics and health economics that support and advance improvements in health outcomes;
• Issues that affect health and health system development in low- and middle-income countries, for
  example: administration and governance, priority setting for health and health human resource planning;
• How the concept of equity is advanced to address disparities in health outcomes in low- and middle-income countries.

The course includes both a guided reading list of key topics and an independent reading list designed and developed by the learner. The reading list includes a series of recent and pivotal papers from the field of health economics in order to introduce concepts, methods and case studies across a selection of low- and middle-income countries that reflect different disease burdens and levels of economic and health system development.

Using a series of practical case studies and key papers, by the end of the course, learners are expected to understand how the discipline of health economics has been applied in research and practice in low- and middle- income countries to:

• address health challenges, particularly the double disease burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases;
• support the improvement of health and economic outcomes; and
• support the strengthening health systems;

Students will also be able to:

• Critically evaluate key health issues that are relevant in low- and middle-income countries within the guided reading list as well as the learner’s area of interest, the methods used to analyze these issues and the conclusions reached; and
• Contribute critical insights, informed by the health economics discipline, on key global health issues (e.g. Sustainable Development Goals, Universal Health Coverage).