Rob Baltussen
Biographic Data
| ID | 1743652 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Rob Baltussen |
| GIVEN NAMES | Rob |
| FAMILY NAME | Baltussen |
| SIGNATURE | BALTUSSEN R |
| AFFILIATIONS | Radboud University Nijmegen |
| ORCID | 0000-0002-8364-2847 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 23 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 51 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 23 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2002 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Weak economic evidence for WHO’s essential cancer medicines for Africa
INTRODUCTION: The WHO Model Lists of Essential Medicines (MLEM and MLEMc) guide national medicine selection, particularly in low-income and lower middle-income countries (LMICs). Concerns exist about the adequacy and transferability of economic evidence supporting recent cancer medicine additions. METHODS: We systematically examined modifications to cancer medicines on the WHO MLEM(c) between 2017 and 2023 and assessed their adoption into Nationa…
From implicit to explicit
BACKGROUND: Translating universal health coverage (UHC) commitments into explicit, evidence-informed benefits packages remains a challenge for many resource-constrained health systems. This paper describes the methods and findings of a full-system benefits package revision applying the WHO Universal Health Coverage Compendium (UHCC) within an evidence-informed deliberative process (EDP) to redesign the State-Guaranteed Benefits Programme in Kyrgy…
Designing an evidence-informed package of essential health services for Universal Health Coverage
Liberia developed an evidence-informed package of health services for Universal Health Coverage (UHC) based on the Disease Control Priorities 3 evidence. This paper describes the policy decisions, methods and processes adopted for prioritisation, key features of the package and lessons learnt, with special emphasis on feasibility of implementation. Package design was led by the Ministry of Health. Prioritisation of essential services was based on…
Decision-making processes for essential packages of health services
Many countries around the world strive for universal health coverage, and an essential packages of health services (EPHS) is a central policy instrument for countries to achieve this. It defines the coverage of services that are made available, as well as the proportion of the costs that are covered from different financial schemes and who can receive these services. This paper reports on the development of an analytical framework on the decision…
Building implementable packages for universal health coverage
Since no country or health system can provide every possible health service to everyone who might benefit, the prioritisation of a defined subset of services for universal availability is intrinsic to universal health coverage (UHC). Creating a package of priority services for UHC, however, does not in itself benefit a population—packages have impact only through implementation. There are inherent tensions between the way services are formulated …
The Use of Evidence-Informed Deliberative Processes for Health Benefit Package Design in Kazakhstan
Despite several challenges, including a partial disruption because of the COVID-19 pandemic, implementation of the process will likely play a key role in determining an evidence-informed and transparent health benefit package
Covid-19 pandemic
The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated the long neglect of surgical services in resource-poor countries, compounding the threat posed by the burden of surgical conditions to the achievement of especially sustainable development goals 3 (good health and wellbeing) and 1 (ending poverty) in these countries
The Need for Novel Approaches in Assessing the Value of Covid-19 Vaccines
Numerous Covid-19 vaccine development programs are under way and several vaccines with potentially differing clinical and manufacturing profiles are expected to reach the market. We argue for the need to adopt new approaches for assessing the value of Covid-19 vaccines, calling for clinical, manufacturing and cost aspects to be complemented by societal value considerations to inform the vaccines’ development, reimbursement and pricing decisions
How does participating in a deliberative citizens panel on healthcare priority setting influence the views of participants
A deliberative citizens panel was held to obtain insight into criteria considered relevant for healthcare priority setting in the Netherlands. Our aim was to examine whether and how panel participation influenced participants’ views on this topic. Participants (n = 24) deliberated on eight reimbursement cases in September and October, 2017. Using Q methodology, we identified three distinct viewpoints before (T0) and after (T1) panel participation…
Can health insurance protect against out-of-pocket and catastrophic expenditures and also support poverty reduction? Evidence from Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme
This study provides evidence that high OOPE leads to CE and poverty in Ghana but enrolment into the NHIS reduces OOPE, provides financial protection against CE and reduces poverty. These findings support the pro-poor policy objective of Ghana's National Health Insurance Scheme and holds relevance to other low and middle income countries implementing or aiming to implement insurance schemes
Priority setting in HIV/Aids control in West Java Indonesia
To increase fairness in HIV/AIDS priority setting, West Java should make improvements on all four conditions of the A4R framework.
Impact and cost-effectiveness analysis of the national school-based sexuality education programme in Estonia
Policy-makers making decisions on the implementation of school-based sexuality education (SE) programmes face two important questions: (1) what are the costs of implementing and scaling up SE programmes, and (2) what are the impacts? This paper responds to these questions by retrospectively assessing costs, impact and cost-effectiveness of the national school-based SE programme in Estonia 1997–2009. The three-year curriculum had been taught to 19…
Community concepts of poverty
BACKGROUND: Poverty is multi dimensional. Beyond the quantitative and tangible issues related to inadequate income it also has equally important social, more intangible and difficult if not impossible to quantify dimensions. In 2009, we explored these social and relativist dimension of poverty in five communities in the South of Ghana with differing socio economic characteristics to inform the development and implementation of policies and progra…
Advocacy for school-based sexuality education
Drawing on evidence from a wider study on the cost and cost-effectiveness of sexuality education programmes in six countries, and focusing on the examples of India and Nigeria, this paper argues that advocacy is a key, yet often neglected component of school-based sexuality education programmes, especially where sex and sexuality are politically or culturally sensitive issues. It also suggests that advocacy is not a one-off activity but needs to …
HIV/Aids patient satisfaction with a food assistance programme in Sofala province, Mozambique
Food insecurity is one of the main factors affecting access and adherence to antiretroviral treatment (ART) in middle- and low-income countries. To mitigate this problem, food assistance interventions are being integrated in ART programmes. As evidence of effectiveness of these interventions has been mixed, evaluating their implementation is important. We measured the satisfaction of HIV/AIDS patients with a food assistance programme in Sofala pr…
The impact of health insurance in Africa and Asia
Cost-effectiveness of methadone maintenance therapy as HIV prevention in an Indonesian high-prevalence setting
Household perceptions and their implications for enrolment in the National Health Insurance Scheme in Ghana
OBJECTIVE: This paper identifies, ranks and compares perceptions of insured and uninsured households in Ghana on health care providers (quality of care, service delivery adequacy, staff attitudes), health insurance schemes (price, benefits and convenience) and community attributes (health 'beliefs and attitudes' and peer pressure). In addition, it explores the association of these perceptions with household decisions to voluntarily enroll and rem…
Equity aspects of the National Health Insurance Scheme in Ghana
Costs and health effects of screening and delivery of hearing aids in Tamil Nadu, India
Active screening and provision of hearing aids at the secondary care level is slightly more costly than passive screening and fitting of hearing aids at the tertiary care level, but seems also able to reach a higher coverage of hearing aids services. Although crude estimates indicate that both passive and active screening programs can be cautiously considered as cost-effective according to international thresholds, important questions remain rega…
Priority setting using multiple criteria
OBJECTIVES: To identify and weigh the various criteria for priority setting, and to assess whether a recently evaluated lung health programme in Nepal should be considered a priority in that country. METHODS: Through a discrete choice experiment with 66 respondents in Nepal, the relative importance of several criteria for priority setting was determined. Subsequently, a set of interventions, including the lung health programme, was rank ordered o…
Cost valuation in resource-poor settings
Methods of cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) have largely been developed for application in Western country settings. Little attention has been paid to the methodological issues in cost valuation in resource-poor settings, where failing exchange rates and severe market distortions require further clarifications of appropriate valuation methods. This paper links insights from social cost-benefit analysis with the current CEA guidelines to develop …
Perceived quality of care of primary health care services in Burkina Faso
Patients' views are being given more and more importance in policy-making. Understanding populations' perceptions of quality of care is critical to developing measures to increase the utilization of primary health care services.Documentation of user's opinion on the quality of care of primary health care services.A 20-item scale, including four sub-scales related to health personnel practices and conduct, adequacy of resources and services, healt…
Equity aspects of the National Health Insurance Scheme in Ghana
Household perceptions and their implications for enrolment in the National Health Insurance Scheme in Ghana
OBJECTIVE: This paper identifies, ranks and compares perceptions of insured and uninsured households in Ghana on health care providers (quality of care, service delivery adequacy, staff attitudes), health insurance schemes (price, benefits and convenience) and community attributes (health 'beliefs and attitudes' and peer pressure). In addition, it explores the association of these perceptions with household decisions to voluntarily enroll and rem…
Priority setting using multiple criteria
OBJECTIVES: To identify and weigh the various criteria for priority setting, and to assess whether a recently evaluated lung health programme in Nepal should be considered a priority in that country. METHODS: Through a discrete choice experiment with 66 respondents in Nepal, the relative importance of several criteria for priority setting was determined. Subsequently, a set of interventions, including the lung health programme, was rank ordered o…
Cost valuation in resource-poor settings
Methods of cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) have largely been developed for application in Western country settings. Little attention has been paid to the methodological issues in cost valuation in resource-poor settings, where failing exchange rates and severe market distortions require further clarifications of appropriate valuation methods. This paper links insights from social cost-benefit analysis with the current CEA guidelines to develop …
Perceived quality of care of primary health care services in Burkina Faso
Patients' views are being given more and more importance in policy-making. Understanding populations' perceptions of quality of care is critical to developing measures to increase the utilization of primary health care services.Documentation of user's opinion on the quality of care of primary health care services.A 20-item scale, including four sub-scales related to health personnel practices and conduct, adequacy of resources and services, healt…
Cost valuation in resource-poor settings
Methods of cost-effectiveness analysis (CEA) have largely been developed for application in Western country settings. Little attention has been paid to the methodological issues in cost valuation in resource-poor settings, where failing exchange rates and severe market distortions require further clarifications of appropriate valuation methods. This paper links insights from social cost-benefit analysis with the current CEA guidelines to develop …
Priority setting using multiple criteria
OBJECTIVES: To identify and weigh the various criteria for priority setting, and to assess whether a recently evaluated lung health programme in Nepal should be considered a priority in that country. METHODS: Through a discrete choice experiment with 66 respondents in Nepal, the relative importance of several criteria for priority setting was determined. Subsequently, a set of interventions, including the lung health programme, was rank ordered o…
Costs and health effects of screening and delivery of hearing aids in Tamil Nadu, India
Active screening and provision of hearing aids at the secondary care level is slightly more costly than passive screening and fitting of hearing aids at the tertiary care level, but seems also able to reach a higher coverage of hearing aids services. Although crude estimates indicate that both passive and active screening programs can be cautiously considered as cost-effective according to international thresholds, important questions remain rega…
Equity aspects of the National Health Insurance Scheme in Ghana
The impact of health insurance in Africa and Asia
Cost-effectiveness of methadone maintenance therapy as HIV prevention in an Indonesian high-prevalence setting
Household perceptions and their implications for enrolment in the National Health Insurance Scheme in Ghana
OBJECTIVE: This paper identifies, ranks and compares perceptions of insured and uninsured households in Ghana on health care providers (quality of care, service delivery adequacy, staff attitudes), health insurance schemes (price, benefits and convenience) and community attributes (health 'beliefs and attitudes' and peer pressure). In addition, it explores the association of these perceptions with household decisions to voluntarily enroll and rem…
Community concepts of poverty
BACKGROUND: Poverty is multi dimensional. Beyond the quantitative and tangible issues related to inadequate income it also has equally important social, more intangible and difficult if not impossible to quantify dimensions. In 2009, we explored these social and relativist dimension of poverty in five communities in the South of Ghana with differing socio economic characteristics to inform the development and implementation of policies and progra…
Advocacy for school-based sexuality education
Drawing on evidence from a wider study on the cost and cost-effectiveness of sexuality education programmes in six countries, and focusing on the examples of India and Nigeria, this paper argues that advocacy is a key, yet often neglected component of school-based sexuality education programmes, especially where sex and sexuality are politically or culturally sensitive issues. It also suggests that advocacy is not a one-off activity but needs to …
HIV/Aids patient satisfaction with a food assistance programme in Sofala province, Mozambique
Food insecurity is one of the main factors affecting access and adherence to antiretroviral treatment (ART) in middle- and low-income countries. To mitigate this problem, food assistance interventions are being integrated in ART programmes. As evidence of effectiveness of these interventions has been mixed, evaluating their implementation is important. We measured the satisfaction of HIV/AIDS patients with a food assistance programme in Sofala pr…
Impact and cost-effectiveness analysis of the national school-based sexuality education programme in Estonia
Policy-makers making decisions on the implementation of school-based sexuality education (SE) programmes face two important questions: (1) what are the costs of implementing and scaling up SE programmes, and (2) what are the impacts? This paper responds to these questions by retrospectively assessing costs, impact and cost-effectiveness of the national school-based SE programme in Estonia 1997–2009. The three-year curriculum had been taught to 19…
Priority setting in HIV/Aids control in West Java Indonesia
To increase fairness in HIV/AIDS priority setting, West Java should make improvements on all four conditions of the A4R framework.
Can health insurance protect against out-of-pocket and catastrophic expenditures and also support poverty reduction? Evidence from Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme
This study provides evidence that high OOPE leads to CE and poverty in Ghana but enrolment into the NHIS reduces OOPE, provides financial protection against CE and reduces poverty. These findings support the pro-poor policy objective of Ghana's National Health Insurance Scheme and holds relevance to other low and middle income countries implementing or aiming to implement insurance schemes
How does participating in a deliberative citizens panel on healthcare priority setting influence the views of participants
A deliberative citizens panel was held to obtain insight into criteria considered relevant for healthcare priority setting in the Netherlands. Our aim was to examine whether and how panel participation influenced participants’ views on this topic. Participants (n = 24) deliberated on eight reimbursement cases in September and October, 2017. Using Q methodology, we identified three distinct viewpoints before (T0) and after (T1) panel participation…
Covid-19 pandemic
The Covid-19 pandemic has exacerbated the long neglect of surgical services in resource-poor countries, compounding the threat posed by the burden of surgical conditions to the achievement of especially sustainable development goals 3 (good health and wellbeing) and 1 (ending poverty) in these countries
The Need for Novel Approaches in Assessing the Value of Covid-19 Vaccines
Numerous Covid-19 vaccine development programs are under way and several vaccines with potentially differing clinical and manufacturing profiles are expected to reach the market. We argue for the need to adopt new approaches for assessing the value of Covid-19 vaccines, calling for clinical, manufacturing and cost aspects to be complemented by societal value considerations to inform the vaccines’ development, reimbursement and pricing decisions
The Use of Evidence-Informed Deliberative Processes for Health Benefit Package Design in Kazakhstan
Despite several challenges, including a partial disruption because of the COVID-19 pandemic, implementation of the process will likely play a key role in determining an evidence-informed and transparent health benefit package
Decision-making processes for essential packages of health services
Many countries around the world strive for universal health coverage, and an essential packages of health services (EPHS) is a central policy instrument for countries to achieve this. It defines the coverage of services that are made available, as well as the proportion of the costs that are covered from different financial schemes and who can receive these services. This paper reports on the development of an analytical framework on the decision…
Building implementable packages for universal health coverage
Since no country or health system can provide every possible health service to everyone who might benefit, the prioritisation of a defined subset of services for universal availability is intrinsic to universal health coverage (UHC). Creating a package of priority services for UHC, however, does not in itself benefit a population—packages have impact only through implementation. There are inherent tensions between the way services are formulated …
Designing an evidence-informed package of essential health services for Universal Health Coverage
Liberia developed an evidence-informed package of health services for Universal Health Coverage (UHC) based on the Disease Control Priorities 3 evidence. This paper describes the policy decisions, methods and processes adopted for prioritisation, key features of the package and lessons learnt, with special emphasis on feasibility of implementation. Package design was led by the Ministry of Health. Prioritisation of essential services was based on…
Weak economic evidence for WHO’s essential cancer medicines for Africa
INTRODUCTION: The WHO Model Lists of Essential Medicines (MLEM and MLEMc) guide national medicine selection, particularly in low-income and lower middle-income countries (LMICs). Concerns exist about the adequacy and transferability of economic evidence supporting recent cancer medicine additions. METHODS: We systematically examined modifications to cancer medicines on the WHO MLEM(c) between 2017 and 2023 and assessed their adoption into Nationa…
From implicit to explicit
BACKGROUND: Translating universal health coverage (UHC) commitments into explicit, evidence-informed benefits packages remains a challenge for many resource-constrained health systems. This paper describes the methods and findings of a full-system benefits package revision applying the WHO Universal Health Coverage Compendium (UHCC) within an evidence-informed deliberative process (EDP) to redesign the State-Guaranteed Benefits Programme in Kyrgy…
Medicine (15 works) · Business (12 works) · Economic growth (12 works) · Economics (12 works) · Healthcare Systems and Reforms (11 works) · Environmental health (10 works) · Health care (9 works) · Global Maternal and Child Health (8 works) · Health Systems, Economic Evaluations, Quality of Life (8 works) · Nursing (8 works)