I love your framing of this cost and agree with your central thesis, that cash transfers to families with sickle cell might be more cost effective than general cash transfers, while not necessarily being the most cost-effective option. It may well be the most cost-effective of the projects you reviewed as well, so kudos for getting in behind this.
My criticism is more that if the NGO has a great database and connection with families with sickle cell, why not use that infrastructure and the money to help the kids medically in ways more effective than a cash transfer? Buying mosquito nets, deworming and I would argue giving proper medical treatment for sickle cell are more cost-effective than cash transfers.
In this case I would boldly predict you could do more good by actually providing the best medical care you could with that money rather than giving it to the family. Also in sickle cell where medical catastrophes are basically guaranteed, cash transfers might well get used up BEFORE catastrophes happen which would be tragic.
I’m assuming this stuff below is not readily publicly available in Cameroon—some of it might well be then you didn’t
If I had 47 dollars a month to help kids with sickle cell I would set up accounts with local health facilities to provide these services for each kid.
1) Pay for the basic monthly meds for sickle cell (pen-V, folate, malaria prevention, pain relief) ($8 a month) 2) Most of these kids would benefit from hydroxyurea ($10 a month) 3) Send a motorbike to pick the kid to take to hte health center AS SOON as they get sick—fast access to healthcare is critical in sickle cell ($5 per month) 4) Administrating the project ($15 a month assuming something like one/two people administrating 20 families) 5) A pool of money which pays for catatrophic hospital admissions when needed ($9)
I might be missing something or overstepping with this suggestion but that’s my hottish take ;) For background I’m a doctor here in Uganda with a decent amount of experience with Sickle cell.
We have added the cash transfer cost , to 91$ after the beneficiaries reported consuming it all on regular medical treatment, when a new regular drug was included in their treatment, pen-V
I love your framing of this cost and agree with your central thesis, that cash transfers to families with sickle cell might be more cost effective than general cash transfers, while not necessarily being the most cost-effective option. It may well be the most cost-effective of the projects you reviewed as well, so kudos for getting in behind this.
My criticism is more that if the NGO has a great database and connection with families with sickle cell, why not use that infrastructure and the money to help the kids medically in ways more effective than a cash transfer? Buying mosquito nets, deworming and I would argue giving proper medical treatment for sickle cell are more cost-effective than cash transfers.
In this case I would boldly predict you could do more good by actually providing the best medical care you could with that money rather than giving it to the family. Also in sickle cell where medical catastrophes are basically guaranteed, cash transfers might well get used up BEFORE catastrophes happen which would be tragic.
I’m assuming this stuff below is not readily publicly available in Cameroon—some of it might well be then you didn’t
If I had 47 dollars a month to help kids with sickle cell I would set up accounts with local health facilities to provide these services for each kid.
1) Pay for the basic monthly meds for sickle cell (pen-V, folate, malaria prevention, pain relief) ($8 a month)
2) Most of these kids would benefit from hydroxyurea ($10 a month)
3) Send a motorbike to pick the kid to take to hte health center AS SOON as they get sick—fast access to healthcare is critical in sickle cell ($5 per month)
4) Administrating the project ($15 a month assuming something like one/two people administrating 20 families)
5) A pool of money which pays for catatrophic hospital admissions when needed ($9)
I might be missing something or overstepping with this suggestion but that’s my hottish take ;) For background I’m a doctor here in Uganda with a decent amount of experience with Sickle cell.
This is very useful and we could possibly improve the basic model with some of these suggestions
Thank you very much
We have added the cash transfer cost , to 91$ after the beneficiaries reported consuming it all on regular medical treatment, when a new regular drug was included in their treatment, pen-V