Chukwuma, Adanna

Person:
Chukwuma, Adanna

World Bank Health, Nutrition, and Population Global Practice

Fields of Specialization

HEALTH SYSTEM, HEALTH FINANCING, SERVICE DELIVERY, POLITICAL ECONOMY, ARMENIA, RUSSIA

ORCID

0000-0001-7873-7633

External Links

Google Scholar
Research Gate

Departments

World Bank Health, Nutrition, and Population Global Practice

Last updated: January 5, 2024

Biography

Adanna is a Senior Health Specialist in the Health, Nutrition, and Population Global Practice, where she leads the design, implementation, and evaluation of investment operations. She has over ten years of experience advising national reforms to improve access to high-quality health care, through service delivery organization, strategic purchasing, revenue mobilization, and demand generation, including in Sri Lanka, Sierra Leone, India, Moldova, Tajikistan, the South Caucasus Countries, and Romania. She has published on health care financing, access, and quality in peer-reviewed journals, including the Bulletin of the World Health Organization and Social Science and Medicine. Adanna obtained a medical degree from the University of Nigeria, a Master of Science in Global Health from the University of Oxford, and a Doctor of Science in Health Systems from Harvard University.

Full item page

Publication Search Results

Now showing 1 - 10 of 26

Payment Incentives for Improved Quality of Health Service Delivery in Republika Srpska and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2024-01-05) Huseinagic, Senad; Stevic, Sinisa; Birungi, Charles; Chukwuma, Adanna
This report outlines a strategic approach to introduce pay-for-performance (P4P) incentives for improved noncommunicable disease (NCD) care in Republika Srpska (RS) and the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina (FBiH). Developed under the context of the Functional Review of Health Systems’ Performance Program financed by the European Union and implemented by the World Bank Group, it intends to provide initial framework for methodological documents to be supported by the Health Systems Improvement Project (HSIP), focusing on evidence-based, technically sound, and politically feasible strategies. Participatorily developed, the report synthesizes global lessons and analyzes the policy environment in RS and FBiH. It proposes key design features, addressing strategic opportunities and operational challenges. Behavioral economics insights and political economy factors inform the approach, identifying key levers, opportunities, and challenges affecting P4P implementation capacity. To enhance NCD care quality, the report recommends changes in the provider payment mix, tailored reforms at entity and cantonal levels, and active service user engagement. Emphasizing the importance of linking payment incentives to performance, the proposed design spans dimensions such as performance measures, basis of payment, payment attributes, recipient of payment, and targeted outcomes. An enabling environment is deemed critical. Relatedly, effective implementation requires robust data systems, stakeholder engagement, adapted legal frameworks, and suitable institutional arrangements. Technical assistance and budgetary support needs are identified. It is expected that P4P implementation will enhance NCD care coverage and quality, thereby improving health outcomes and overall health system performance in RS and FBiH.
The Impact of Health Taxes in Armenia
(Washington, DC: World Bank, 2023-09-14) Saxena, Akshar; Chukwuma, Adanna; Qaiser, Seemi; Manookian, Armineh; Minasyan, Gevorg
This report has been prepared by the World Bank, at the request of the MoH, to support ongoing efforts to improve population health and revenue mobilization in the sector. The study estimates the health impacts of increasing taxation on SSBs, alcohol, and tobacco across gender and income-quintiles. The revenue potential of these taxes is also explored. The target audience for these findings includes senior policymakers and technical advisers in the MoH, Ministry of Economy, and Ministry of Finance (MoF).The remainder of this report is organized as follows. In Chapter 2, the authors reviewthe current state of health and consumption taxes in Armenia. Chapter 3 outlines themethods used to estimate the change in tax revenue and consumption of alcohol,tobacco, and SSBs. Chapter 4 reports the analysis results, including the potentialadditional fiscal space and health gains. Finally, chapter 5 presents the conclusionsbased on the findings.
Invitations, Incentives, and Conditions: A Randomized Evaluation of Demand-Side Interventions for Health Screenings
(Elsevier, 2022-03) Ayivi-Guedehoussou, Nono; de Walque, Damien; Koshkakaryan, Marianna; Chukwuma, Adanna
This randomized controlled trial investigates the impact of four demand-side interventions on health screening for diabetes and hypertension among Armenian adults. The interventions are 1) personalized invitations from a physician, 2) personalized invitations with information about peer screening behavior, 3) personalized invitations with a labeled but unconditional financial incentive, and 4) personal invitations with a conditional financial incentive. Compared with the control group, interventions 1 to 3 led to a significant increase in the screening rate of about 15 percentage points for diabetes and hypertension. The highest impact was measured for intervention 4 leading to a 31.2 percentage point increase in both screenings.
More Money for Health: Resource Mobilization for Universal Health Coverage in Armenia
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-12-20) Maduko, Franklin; Chukwuma, Adanna; Minasyan, Gevorg; Manookian, Armineh; Saldarriaga Noel, Miguel Angel; Tandon, Ajay
Armenia has made significant gains in population health, but faces challenges in ensuring health care access, due to financial barriers. As mortality caused by infectious diseases has fallen over the past two decades, the prevalence of noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) has increased. The NCD burden can be reduced via public health measures, such as tobacco control exposure, and access to high-quality health care. However, financial barriers to access are a significant challenge.
Estimating the impact of trained midwives and upgraded health facilities on institutional delivery rates in Nigeria using a quasi-experimental study design
(BMJ Publishing Group Ltd, 2022-05-24) Grépin, Karen Ann; Chukwuma, Adanna; Holmlund, Marcus; Vera-Hernandez, Marcos; Wang, Qiao; Rosa-Dias, Pedro
Studies have shown that demand-side interventions, such as conditional cash transfers and vouchers, can increase the proportion of women giving birth in a health facility in low-income and middle-income countries, but there is limited evidence of the effectiveness of supply-side interventions. We evaluated the impact of the Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Program Maternal and Child Health Project (SURE-PMCH) on rates of institutional delivery and antenatal care. The authors used a differences-in-differences study design that compared changes in rates of institutional delivery and antenatal care in areas that had received additional support through the SURE-PMCH program relative to areas that did not. Data on outcomes were obtained from the 2013 Nigerian Demographic and Health Survey. The authors found that the program significantly increased the proportion of women giving birth in a health facility by approximately 7 percentage points (p=0.069) or approximately 10 percent relative to the baseline after 9 months of implementation. The program, however, did not significantly increase the use of antenatal care. The findings of this study suggest there could be important improvements in institutional delivery rates through greater investment in supply-side interventions.
Provider Payment Reforms for Improved Primary Health Care in Romania
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-08) Comsa, Radu; Chukwuma, Adanna; Chen, Dorothee; Gong, Estelle
Romania faces high levels of amenable mortality reflecting, in part, the relatively low utilization rates of high-quality primary health care (PHC), particularly for non-communicable disease (NCD) prevention and treatment. Provider payment mechanisms do not reward the high-quality care provision and may incentivize bypassing of PHC for hospitals, exacerbating challenges presented by physical, financial, and social barriers to accessing essential care. This paper assesses provider payment mechanisms at the PHC level, by examining their design features and implementation arrangements, and exploring their implications for PHC performance in terms of access and quality of care. The authors conclude with policy recommendations to address the constraints identified. To increase the supply of preventative care and case management, the authors recommend that volume thresholds for fee-for-service payments reflect both the number of enrollees and physicians in a practice; laboratory tests required for case management be reduced in scope and their costs be reimbursed; and the law on health care reform be amended to enable the introduction of new payment mechanisms, such as performance-based payments. To expand the scope of PHC and strengthen care coordination with hospitals, periodic reviews by physician commissions should aim to expand the scope of PHC care in line with provisions in other European Union (EU) countries for ambulatory-care sensitive conditions; capitation payments should be adjusted for gender and historical service use to reduce incentive for over-referrals; and payment mechanisms that reward coordination of care, including bundled payments, should be introduced. To establish an enabling environment for provider payment reforms, health information systems should be strengthened by unifying diagnosis coding, establishing quality standards, and ensuring referral module functionality; payment reforms should be informed by extensive consultations with providers at all service delivery levels; and PHC spending should be increased to support higher reimbursement levels for providers and match expenditure levels in high-performing EU health systems.
Macroeconomic Effects of Financing Universal Health Coverage in Armenia
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-06-08) Dudu, Hasan; Chukwuma, Adanna; Manookian, Armineh; Aghazaryan, Anastas; Zeshan, Muhammad
Armenia has made significant progress in improving population health outcomes over the past two decades. However, essential health care for non-communicable diseases (NCDs) is underutilized in part due to the cost of access. Armenia has also committed as a signatory to the Sustainable Development Goals, to making progress towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC). This commitment involves guaranteeing access to essential health care for all its citizens. The Ministry of Health (MoH) has developed a concept note for the introduction for Universal Health Insurance that proposes to mobilize additional revenue through payroll taxes or higher budgetary allocations to the sector. However, the Ministry of Finance (MoF) has noted that revenue mobilization options should ideally demonstrate positive returns in terms of economic growth and employment. Therefore, at the request of the MoH, the World Bank has modeled the macroeconomic impacts of options to increase domestic resource mobilization to finance universal access to essential health services in the basic benefits package. The analysis assumes that through UHC reforms that mobilize additional public spending, the government would cover the cost of ninety-five percent of household needs for health care from 2021 to 2050, and that the increase in the demand for care will be supported by improvements in supply-side efficiency. The results suggest that increasing direct taxes is better than increasing indirect taxes as the former are less distortionary and cause smaller allocative inefficiencies.
Using Allocative Efficiency Analysis to Inform Health Benefits Package Design for Progressing towards Universal Health Coverage: Proof-of-Concept Studies in Countries Seeking Decision Support
(PLoS, 2021-11-29) Fraser-Hurt, Nicole; Hou, Xiaohui; Wilkinson, Thomas; Duran, Denizhan; Abou Jaoude, Gerard J.; Skordis, Jolene; Chukwuma, Adanna; Lao Pena, Christine; Tshivuila Matala, Opope O.; Gorgens, Marelize; Wilson, David P.
Countries are increasingly defining health benefits packages (HBPs) as a way of progressing towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC). Resources for health are commonly constrained, so it is imperative to allocate funds as efficiently as possible. We conducted allocative efficiency analyses using the Health Interventions Prioritization tool (HIPtool) to estimate the cost and impact of potential HBPs in three countries. These analyses explore the usefulness of allocative efficiency analysis and HIPtool in particular, in contributing to priority setting discussions.
Reforming the Basic Benefits Package in Armenia: Modeling Insights from the Health Interventions Prioritization Tool
(World Bank, Washington, DC, 2021-03-26) Fraser, Nicole; Chukwuma, Adanna; Koshkakaryan, Marianna; Yengibaryan, Lusine; Hou, Xiaohui; Wilkinson, Tommy
Armenia is an upper-middle-income (UMI) country in the South Caucasus region. The Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic and a regional crisis have resulted in the real economy's contraction following rapid growth in the past five years. Improving access to high-quality health care is essential for responding to non-communicable diseases (NCDs) and preventing mortality from infectious diseases in Armenia. Armenia is faced with the challenge of achieving Universal Health Coverage (UHC) when funding for health services faces downward pressures due to a donor funding transition, the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic, and regional conflict. This report is part of the World Bank’s technical support toward universal health coverage in Armenia, which includes advisory services and analytics aimed at supporting the government’s efforts to expand access to high-quality health care. The report draws on the Health Interventions prioritization tool to optimize allocations across essential health services in the basic benefits package and estimate the potential impact of these allocations on population health.
Generating Political Priority for Primary Health Care Reform in Romania
(Taylor and Francis, 2021-08-17) Comsa, Radu; Wang, Huihui; Chukwuma, Adanna; Gong, Estelle; Onofrei, Lidia; Dmytraczenko, Tania
This paper examines how political priority was generated for comprehensive reforms to address inequitable access to high-quality primary health care (PHC) in Romania. We apply John Kingdon’s model of political agenda setting to explore how the convergence of problems, solutions, and political developments culminated in the adoption of a government program that included critical PHC reforms and approval of a results-based funding instrument for implementation. We draw on a review of the gray and peer-reviewed literature and stakeholder consultations, and use content analysis to identify themes organized in line with the dimensions of Kingdon’s model. We conclude this paper with three lessons that may be relevant for generating political priority for PHC reforms in other contexts. First, national PHC reforms are likely to be prioritized when there is political alignment of health reforms with the broader political agenda. Second, the availability of technically sound and feasible policy proposals makes it possible to seize the political opportunity when the window opens. Third, partners’ coordinated technical and financial support for neglected issues can serve to raise their priority on the political agenda.