Cost-Effectiveness of Public-Private Partnerships for Tuberculosis Treatment in South Africa
Author Information
Author(s): Edina Sinanovic, Lilani Kumaranayake
Primary Institution: University of Cape Town
Hypothesis
Can public-private partnerships (PPPs) improve the cost-effectiveness of tuberculosis treatment in South Africa?
Conclusion
Expanding public-private partnerships in tuberculosis treatment can significantly reduce costs and improve service accessibility.
Supporting Evidence
- Cost per case cured was significantly lower in the public-non-government model compared to public sites.
- Public-private partnerships could reduce government financing required per TB patient treated by up to 80%.
- Treatment success rates varied between 74% and 89% across different models.
Takeaway
This study shows that working together with private companies can make treating tuberculosis cheaper and easier for patients.
Methodology
Cost and effectiveness data were collected from six sites providing directly observed treatment for a 12-month cohort of new sputum positive patients.
Potential Biases
The study may underestimate cost-effectiveness due to higher mortality rates in HIV-positive TB patients and selection bias in site selection.
Limitations
The study used non-randomized purposive sampling, which may not represent all communities and could lead to optimistic results.
Participant Demographics
Participants included low-income workers and residents from various urban and rural settings in South Africa.
Digital Object Identifier (DOI)
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