Despite sending huge sums of money on health every year the African region's burden of disease is persistently high. Most of the countries in the region are lagging behind in achieving the health-related United Nations Millennium Development Goals. The African region's dismal health situation has largely been blamed on weakness pertaining to such factors as health leadership and governance; service delivery; health workforce; medicines, vaccines, and health technologies; health information; and health system financing that have undermined the capacity of health systems of countries in the region to improve population health without wastage of resources. Institutionalising health system efficiency monitoring, as a basis for the design and implementation of appropriate policy interventions, has been proposed as an effective way of curbing wastage of health system inputs. Efficiency of Health System Units in Africa: A Data Envelopment Analysis is the first book of its kind on application of the data envelopment analysis technique to examine the efficiency of health system decision-making units in Africa. The book interlaces lecture notes with research articles and case studies to equip students and practitioners of economics, operations research, management science, and public health with knowledge and skills for undertaking technical efficiency, cost efficiency, and total factor productivity analyses.

This book presents contributions to the 50th Annual Conference of the Operations Research Society of South Africa (ORSSA), which was jointly hosted with the African Federation of Operations Research Societies (AFROS) at North-West University in Potchefstroom, South Africa from 12 to 15 September, 2021. Focusing on innovative case studies and recent applications of Operations Research models and algorithms in African countries, each chapter highlights findings emerging from the countries in question and explains the lessons learned. As such, the book offers an up-to-date overview of Operations Research practices and developments in Africa. AFROS is a “not for profit” organization that aims to promote Operations Research in Africa. Its affairs are regulated by an Executive Committee consisting of representatives/alternates of all its member societies. The members of the Federation undertake to co-operate in the advancement of knowledge, interest and education in Operations Research by appropriate means, particularly the exchange of information, the holding of meetings and conferences, and the awarding of prizes.

Crime science is precisely what it says it is: the application of science to the phenomenon of crime. This handbook, intended as a crime science manifesto, showcases the scope of the crime science field and provides the reader with an understanding of the assumptions, aspirations and methods of crime science, as well as the variety of topics that fall within its purview. Crime science provides a distinctive approach to understanding and dealing with crime: one that is outcome-oriented, evidence-based and that crosses boundaries between disciplines. The central mission of crime science is to find new ways to cut crime and increase security. Beginning by setting out the case for crime science, the editors examine the roots of crime science in environmental criminology and describe its key features. The book is then divided into two sections. The first section comprises chapters by disciplinary specialists about the contributions their sciences can make or have already made to crime science. Chapter 12 of this book is freely available as a downloadable Open Access PDF under a Creative Commons Attribution-Non Commercial-No Derivatives 3.0 license. https://s3-us-west-2.amazonaws.com/tandfbis/rt-files/docs/Open+Access+Chapters/9780415826266_oachapter12.pdf

A collection of peer-reviewed articles and contributions to books, this overview of the finance of health insurance concentrates on developing countries. The material covers various financing strategies and explains how each can--or cannot--help improve the transition toward universal coverage. The model plans shown here are particularly useful for policy-makers and technical advisers who have to decide upon health financing policies--or are engaged in a debate about them--and the sample forms can be adjusted to the particular economic and political context of the developing countries involved. In addition, there are reminders that this process varies: in some countries, universal coverage may take time and require a step-by-step approach. In other developing countries, a swift transition to universal coverage may be quite feasible.

This book provides a concise synthesis of leading edge research in the theory and practise of efficiency measurement in health and health care. Whilst much of the literature in this area is confusing and impregnable, Hollingsworth and Peacock show the logical links between the economic theory underlying efficiency, the methods used in analysis and

A textbook with case studies for audiologists and speech pathologists to make recommendations for early detection and intervention of hearing impairments in the South African context Early hearing detection and intervention (EHDI) is the gold standard for any practicing audiologist, and for families of infants and children with hearing impairment. EHDI programs aim to identify, diagnose and provide intervention to children with hearing impairment from as early as six months old (as well as those at risk for hearing impairment) to ensure they develop and achieve to their potential. Yet EHDI remains a significant challenge for Africa, and various initiatives are in place to address this gap in transferring policy into practice within the southern African context. The diversity of factors in the southern African context presents unique challenges to teaching and research in this field, which has prompted this book project. The South African government’s heightened focus on increasing access to health care which includes ongoing Early Childhood Development (ECD) programs, make this an opportune time for establishing and documenting evidence-based research for current undergraduate and postgraduate students. Early Detection and Intervention in Audiology: An African Perspective aims to address this opportunity. Grounded in an African context with detailed case studies, this book provides rich content that pays careful attention to contextual relevance and contextual responsiveness to both identification and intervention in hearing impairment. With diverse contributions from experts in local and international contexts, but always with an African perspective, this is textbook will be an invaluable resource for students, researchers and practitioners.

Hugely relevant in today’s world of healthcare performance management, this comprehensive work applies the analytical framework of Data Envelopment Analysis methodology to provide health care administrators with specific tools for performance evaluation. Most important, the book provides health care practitioners and administrators with information of what is lacking in specific aspects of performance and then outlines the ways how these performance inadequacies can be improved.