Nirmala Ravishankar
Biographic Data
| ID | 367897 |
|---|---|
| NAME | Nirmala Ravishankar |
| GIVEN NAMES | Nirmala |
| FAMILY NAME | Ravishankar |
| SIGNATURE | RAVISHANKAR N |
| AFFILIATIONS | Abt Global (United States) |
| ORCID | 0009-0002-7005-3389 |
| VERIFIED | Yes |
| TOTAL WORKS | 13 |
| TOTAL CITATIONS | 25 |
| AUTHOR COUNT | 13 |
| EDITOR COUNT | 0 |
| FIRST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2007 |
| LATEST PUBLICATION YEAR | 2026 |
| H-INDEX | 3 |
Poverty is a social issue, not a mathematical problem”
Background Kenya rolled out a UHC indigent program aimed to expand financial protection and health service access for poor households through subsidized health insurance under the national insurer, National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF). As Kenya transitions to a new social health insurance framework under the Social Health Authority (SHA), understanding the implementation experience of the UHC indigent program is critical for informing the roll o…
An Analysis of Hr Practices in Private Sector Banks
Banking sector is most important financial pillars of Indian economy .It has important role in the development of Indian economy. We can see tremendous change in the operation of banking services in India in 21st century. Banking being a service-oriented industry, the quality of services depends on the human resources development practices in banks. The changes like socio-economic profiles of the customers, government policies, changes at nationa…
Reconciling devolution with health financing and public financial management
The interplay between devolution, health financing and public financial management processes in health—or the lack of coherence between them—can have profound implications for a country’s progress towards universal health coverage. This paper explores this relationship in seven Asian and African countries (Burkina Faso, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Uganda, Indonesia and the Philippines), highlighting challenges and suggesting policy solutions. Fir…
Using knowledge translation to support the use of evaluation findings
Using program evaluation findings is crucial in improving health programs and realising the program’s benefits. In this article, we report on how a knowledge translation (KT) approach supported the use of evaluation findings to improve the Linda Mama free maternity program in Kenya. We used a case study design employing qualitative approaches to describe our KT strategy and its impact on evaluation use. Data were collected through semi-structured…
The impact of Covid-19 on health financing in Kenya
Sudden shocks to health systems, such as the COVID-19 pandemic may disrupt health system functions. Health system functions may also influence the health system’s ability to deliver in the face of sudden shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic. We examined the impact of COVID-19 on the health financing function in Kenya, and how specific health financing arrangements influenced the health systems capacity to deliver services during the COVID-19 pand…
Examining the level and inequality in health insurance coverage in 36 sub-Saharan African countries
INTRODUCTION: Low/middle-income countries (LMICs) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are increasingly turning to public contributory health insurance as a mechanism for removing financial barriers to access and extending financial risk protection to the population. Against this backdrop, we assessed the level and inequality of population coverage of existing health insurance schemes in 36 SSA countries. METHODS: Using secondary data from the most recent…
Impact of free maternity policies in Kenya
BACKGROUND: User fees have been reported to limit access to services and increase inequities. As a result, Kenya introduced a free maternity policy in all public facilities in 2013. Subsequently in 2017, the policy was revised to the Linda Mama programme to expand access to private sector, expand the benefit package and change its management. METHODS: An interrupted time-series analysis on facility deliveries, antenatal care (ANC) and postnatal c…
Assessing the impoverishing effects, and factors associated with the incidence of catastrophic health care payments in Kenya
Kenyan policy makers should prioritize extending pre-payment mechanisms to more vulnerable groups, specifically the poor, the elderly, those suffering from chronic ailments and those living in marginalized regions of the country. The range of services covered under these mechanisms should also be extended such that the proportion of direct costs paid to access care is reduced. Policy makers should also prioritize reducing supply side bottlenecks …
Who loses in direct democracy
Assessing public and private sector contributions in reproductive health financing and utilization for six sub-Saharan African countries
The present study provides evidence to support enhanced attention to reproductive health and comprehensive measures to increase access to quality reproductive health services. We compare and contrast the financing and utilization of reproductive health services in six sub-Saharan African countries using data from National Health Accounts and Demographic and Health Surveys. Spending on reproductive health in 2006 ranged from US$4 per woman of repr…
Financing of global health
Public policy for the poor? A randomised assessment of the Mexican universal health insurance programme
A “politically robust” experimental design for public policy evaluation, with application to the Mexican Universal Health Insurance program
We develop an approach to conducting large‐scale randomized public policy experiments intended to be more robust to the political interventions that have ruined some or all parts of many similar previous efforts. Our proposed design is insulated from selection bias in some circumstances even if we lose observations; our inferences can still be unbiased even if politics disrupts any two of the three steps in our analytical procedures; and other em…
A “politically robust” experimental design for public policy evaluation, with application to the Mexican Universal Health Insurance program
We develop an approach to conducting large‐scale randomized public policy experiments intended to be more robust to the political interventions that have ruined some or all parts of many similar previous efforts. Our proposed design is insulated from selection bias in some circumstances even if we lose observations; our inferences can still be unbiased even if politics disrupts any two of the three steps in our analytical procedures; and other em…
Who loses in direct democracy
Assessing public and private sector contributions in reproductive health financing and utilization for six sub-Saharan African countries
The present study provides evidence to support enhanced attention to reproductive health and comprehensive measures to increase access to quality reproductive health services. We compare and contrast the financing and utilization of reproductive health services in six sub-Saharan African countries using data from National Health Accounts and Demographic and Health Surveys. Spending on reproductive health in 2006 ranged from US$4 per woman of repr…
A “politically robust” experimental design for public policy evaluation, with application to the Mexican Universal Health Insurance program
We develop an approach to conducting large‐scale randomized public policy experiments intended to be more robust to the political interventions that have ruined some or all parts of many similar previous efforts. Our proposed design is insulated from selection bias in some circumstances even if we lose observations; our inferences can still be unbiased even if politics disrupts any two of the three steps in our analytical procedures; and other em…
Financing of global health
Public policy for the poor? A randomised assessment of the Mexican universal health insurance programme
Assessing public and private sector contributions in reproductive health financing and utilization for six sub-Saharan African countries
The present study provides evidence to support enhanced attention to reproductive health and comprehensive measures to increase access to quality reproductive health services. We compare and contrast the financing and utilization of reproductive health services in six sub-Saharan African countries using data from National Health Accounts and Demographic and Health Surveys. Spending on reproductive health in 2006 ranged from US$4 per woman of repr…
Who loses in direct democracy
Assessing the impoverishing effects, and factors associated with the incidence of catastrophic health care payments in Kenya
Kenyan policy makers should prioritize extending pre-payment mechanisms to more vulnerable groups, specifically the poor, the elderly, those suffering from chronic ailments and those living in marginalized regions of the country. The range of services covered under these mechanisms should also be extended such that the proportion of direct costs paid to access care is reduced. Policy makers should also prioritize reducing supply side bottlenecks …
Examining the level and inequality in health insurance coverage in 36 sub-Saharan African countries
INTRODUCTION: Low/middle-income countries (LMICs) in sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) are increasingly turning to public contributory health insurance as a mechanism for removing financial barriers to access and extending financial risk protection to the population. Against this backdrop, we assessed the level and inequality of population coverage of existing health insurance schemes in 36 SSA countries. METHODS: Using secondary data from the most recent…
Impact of free maternity policies in Kenya
BACKGROUND: User fees have been reported to limit access to services and increase inequities. As a result, Kenya introduced a free maternity policy in all public facilities in 2013. Subsequently in 2017, the policy was revised to the Linda Mama programme to expand access to private sector, expand the benefit package and change its management. METHODS: An interrupted time-series analysis on facility deliveries, antenatal care (ANC) and postnatal c…
The impact of Covid-19 on health financing in Kenya
Sudden shocks to health systems, such as the COVID-19 pandemic may disrupt health system functions. Health system functions may also influence the health system’s ability to deliver in the face of sudden shocks such as the COVID-19 pandemic. We examined the impact of COVID-19 on the health financing function in Kenya, and how specific health financing arrangements influenced the health systems capacity to deliver services during the COVID-19 pand…
An Analysis of Hr Practices in Private Sector Banks
Banking sector is most important financial pillars of Indian economy .It has important role in the development of Indian economy. We can see tremendous change in the operation of banking services in India in 21st century. Banking being a service-oriented industry, the quality of services depends on the human resources development practices in banks. The changes like socio-economic profiles of the customers, government policies, changes at nationa…
Reconciling devolution with health financing and public financial management
The interplay between devolution, health financing and public financial management processes in health—or the lack of coherence between them—can have profound implications for a country’s progress towards universal health coverage. This paper explores this relationship in seven Asian and African countries (Burkina Faso, Kenya, Mozambique, Nigeria, Uganda, Indonesia and the Philippines), highlighting challenges and suggesting policy solutions. Fir…
Using knowledge translation to support the use of evaluation findings
Using program evaluation findings is crucial in improving health programs and realising the program’s benefits. In this article, we report on how a knowledge translation (KT) approach supported the use of evaluation findings to improve the Linda Mama free maternity program in Kenya. We used a case study design employing qualitative approaches to describe our KT strategy and its impact on evaluation use. Data were collected through semi-structured…
Poverty is a social issue, not a mathematical problem”
Background Kenya rolled out a UHC indigent program aimed to expand financial protection and health service access for poor households through subsidized health insurance under the national insurer, National Health Insurance Fund (NHIF). As Kenya transitions to a new social health insurance framework under the Social Health Authority (SHA), understanding the implementation experience of the UHC indigent program is critical for informing the roll o…
Business (10 works) · Economics (10 works) · Medicine (10 works) · Economic growth (9 works) · Health care (8 works) · Public health (8 works) · Global Maternal and Child Health (7 works) · Environmental health (6 works) · Healthcare Systems and Reforms (6 works) · Political science (6 works)