Question 1: My name is Jeanne d’Arc Nyinawankusi. I am a Registered Nurse working in Prehospital Emergency Medical Services, a division of the Ministry of health. Its main purpose is to manage various sets of life threatening emergency conditions in the out of hospital environment during primary medical evacuation and inter-health facilities transfers. I didn’t study economic .
Question 2: Health Economics is important to the health care system: Every well-organized health sector states among missions the geographical and financial accessibility to quality health services for all the population and strives for the sustainability of the healthcare system. Globally innovation and technology are crucial in different fields, especially in health care system for an advanced and high quality health service delivery. Through an important economics’ principle of fighting for minimizing cost and maximize health care benefits. An efficiency use of resources is crucial for the achievement of healthcare system’s goals. The scarcity of resources and the rising of health problems which involves the rising of the demand for health care are two parallel issues which require health economics discipline in order to deal with service delivery and resources availability, so that contribute to the appropriate decision making about budget allocation, resources mobilization and utilization taking into account equity and efficiency criteria in healthcare system. It is also important to strive for maximization of consumers especially in preventives health services like Vaccination, Antenatal care, Family planning etc. The health economics discipline plays a big role in health system development when analyzing and advising on health related investments which can contribute also to the economy of the country while improving the health and the wealth of the population. The health economics advise on the effective and efficient use of fund by health care system, priorities’ establishment, price regulation, services performance and the partnership with private and public sector including health insurance schemes.
Question 3: The impact of covid-19 on the global economy is not yet known but the effects can be felt by the population in many countries especially in Middle and Low income countries and a negative impact on the health and well being can be expected. The health economic discipline should work together with other disciplines to deal with the complex social economic and health challenges. The health economic discipline should help to strengthen and adjust the existing pandemic related policy in order to deal with the over demand of health care, hospitals occupancy and scarcity of health care professionals field but also the decrease of the economy as result of the pandemic. This requires effective prioritisation for services and infrastructure building. Strengthening local level effort is crucial for the increase of country’s economy, social well being, health insurance schemes, use of technology, behavior changes, the ownership of the population and the accountability at all levels. The health economics should contribute to the increase of the whole economy in order to allow countries to set and improve effective strategies for unexpected situations.