I think It wouldn’t cost much at all to make forward a pretty robust cost-effectiveness model for a CHW which rolls out a wide range of interventions. (I think Living Goods +- others might well have decent models already here?). I think you could even build this yourself? Some of the package would be easy to do because data is there (malaria, diarrhoea, pneumonia treatment, family planning antenatal care), while screenings and referrals are much harder to quantify and might have to be left out of the analysis pending better data.
I agree the bet argument is pretty good if the goal is government adoption. Regardless of the nuance of cost-effectiveness, CHWs will always be more cost-effective than most health things govt. could do and it would likely displace less cost-effective things. Unfortunately I don’t think EA funders have seriously considered scale through govt. something worth chasing as a bet, but I really like the idea.
I think It wouldn’t cost much at all to make forward a pretty robust cost-effectiveness model for a CHW which rolls out a wide range of interventions. (I think Living Goods +- others might well have decent models already here?). I think you could even build this yourself? Some of the package would be easy to do because data is there (malaria, diarrhoea, pneumonia treatment, family planning antenatal care), while screenings and referrals are much harder to quantify and might have to be left out of the analysis pending better data.
I agree the bet argument is pretty good if the goal is government adoption. Regardless of the nuance of cost-effectiveness, CHWs will always be more cost-effective than most health things govt. could do and it would likely displace less cost-effective things. Unfortunately I don’t think EA funders have seriously considered scale through govt. something worth chasing as a bet, but I really like the idea.