A Quantitative Analysis of the Health Extension Program to Inform Human Resource Policy Interventions in Ethiopia (360G-Wellcome-212771_Z_18_Z)

In 2004, Ethiopia launched the Health Extension Program (HEP) - a primary health care delivery strategy focussing on the delivery of 16 essential health services, targeting the rural poor. Health Extension Workers (HEWs) were employed as key vehicles for delivery of HEP. Though their deployment was in large numbers, current policy initiatives towards HEP are hampered by the dearth of empirical, quantitative data on HEW behaviours; the determinants of their job choices and the implications of these dynamics on retention policies for this workforce. This project proposes to investigate the labor market response to changes in wages, working conditions, and training opportunities of HEWs, using a discrete choice experiment. Additionally, this will be the first study to undertake an economic evaluation of available health workforce policies to provide critical insight on which policies to pursue for better retention of HEWs, as well as using mathematical modelling techniques to ascertain the causal impact of HEP on the equity of health service delivery in Ethiopia. With these three research packages, the project aims to create pioneering evidence that fills critical gaps in literature to inform human resource policy interventions in the context of HEP, leading to improvements in population health in Ethiopia.