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Apr 1, 2019 - Mar 31, 2020

The effects of free healthcare initiative on child and maternal health outcomes in Africa

Leader

Dozens of African countries have started implementing Free Healthcare Initiative (FHI), targeting vulnerable groups such as pregnant women and children under five years of age. These initiatives aim to tackle the barriers to accessing health care and addressa health inequality. In this study, we evaluate the causal impact of the FHI on the healthcare utilization and health outcomes of children and mothers in Africa. We use data from the Demographic and Health Surveys (DHS) for the African countries that have been implementing the FHI policy in different years. By exploiting the policy rollout among countries across years since 2000, we can employ difference-in-difference models to identify the policy impact and evaluate the impact heterogeneity across socioeconomic statuses. By using the large-scale survey data, our research result potentially can provide precise and systematic policy analysis and recommendations for policymakers.