Impact Evaluation of the Ethiopian Health Services Extension Programme

Journal of Development Effectiveness, Vol. 1, No. 4, December 2009, 430–449

Posted: 6 Jul 2014

See all articles by Assefa Admassie

Assefa Admassie

Ethiopian Economics Association/Ethiopian Economic Policy Research Institute

Degnet Abebaw

Ethiopian Economics Association/Ethiopian Economic Policy Research Institute

Andinet Woldemichael

University of Maryland Baltimore

Date Written: December 1, 2009

Abstract

Ethiopia has launched a pro-poor health services extension programme since 2003 to deliver preventive and basic curative health services to its inhabitants. Despite the massive support and recognition the programme has received, there has not been proper evaluation of its impact. This study has applied propensity score matching and regression adjustment techniques to evaluate the short-term and intermediate-term impacts of the programme on child and maternal health indicators in the programme villages. Empirical data for the study were collected from 3095 households from both programme and non-programme villages in rural Ethiopia. The estimated results indicate that the programme has significantly increased the proportion of children fully and individually vaccinated against tuberculosis, polio, diphtheria–pertussis–tetanus, and measles. The study finds heterogeneity in childhood immunization coverage as a result of differences in terms of the number of health extension workers, in the quality of health posts and in terms of the educational achievement of mothers across programme villages. The proportions of children and women using insecticide-treated bed-nets for malaria protection are significantly larger in programme villages than in non-programme villages. The effect on preventive maternal care is rather limited. Whereas women in the programme villages appeared to make their first contact with a skilled health service provider significantly earlier during pregnancy, very little effect is detected on other prenatal and postnatal care services. Moreover, the programme has not reduced the incidence and duration of diarrhoea and cough diseases among under-five children.

Keywords: impact evaluation; health services extension; propensity scores; regression adjustment; Ethiopia

Suggested Citation

Admassie, Assefa and Abebaw, Degnet and Woldemichael, Andinet, Impact Evaluation of the Ethiopian Health Services Extension Programme (December 1, 2009). Journal of Development Effectiveness, Vol. 1, No. 4, December 2009, 430–449, Available at SSRN: https://ssrn.com/abstract=2462578

Assefa Admassie

Ethiopian Economics Association/Ethiopian Economic Policy Research Institute ( email )

Addis Ababa, 34282
Ethiopia

Degnet Abebaw (Contact Author)

Ethiopian Economics Association/Ethiopian Economic Policy Research Institute ( email )

Addis Ababa, 34282
Ethiopia

Andinet Woldemichael

University of Maryland Baltimore ( email )

100 N. Greene Street
Room 01-212
Baltimore, MD 21214
United States

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