Researchers from Imperial College Detail Findings in Chagas Disease (How universal is coverage and access to diagnosis and treatment for Chagas…

Researchers from Imperial College Detail Findings in Chagas Disease (How universal is coverage and access to diagnosis and treatment for Chagas disease in Colombia? A health systems analysis)

By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Weekly News -- Investigators publish new report on Parasitic Diseases and Conditions - Chagas Disease. According to news reporting from London, United Kingdom, by VerticalNews journalists, research stated, "Limited access to Chagas disease diagnosis and treatment is a major obstacle to reaching the 2020 World Health Organization milestones of delivering care to all infected and ill patients. Colombia has been identified as a health system in transition, reporting one of the highest levels of health insurance coverage in Latin America."

Funders for this research include Departamento Administrativo Nacional de Ciencia y Tecnologia de Colombia, UK National Institute for Health Research, UK Medical Research Council.

The news correspondents obtained a quote from the research from Imperial College, "We explore if and how this high level of coverage extends to those with Chagas disease, a traditionally marginalised population. Using a mixed methods approach, we calculate coverage for screening, diagnosis and treatment of Chagas. We then identify supply-side constraints both quantitatively and qualitatively. A review of official registries of tests and treatments for Chagas disease delivered between 2008 and 2014 is compared to estimates of infected people. Using the Flagship Framework, we explore barriers limiting access to care. Screening coverage is estimated at 1.2% of the population at risk. Aetiological treatment with either benznidazol or nifurtimox covered 0.3-0.4% of the infected population. Barriers to accessing screening, diagnosis and treatment are identified for each of the Flagship Framework's five dimensions of interest: financing, payment, regulation, organization and persuasion. The main challenges identified were: a lack of clarity in terms of financial responsibilities in a segmented health system, claims of limited resources for undertaking activities particularly in primary care, non-inclusion of confirmatory test(s) in the basic package of diagnosis and care, poor logistics in the distribution and supply chain of medicines, and lack of awareness of medical personnel. Very low screening coverage emerges as a key obstacle hindering access to care for Chagas disease. Findings suggest serious shortcomings in this health system for Chagas disease, despite the success of universal health insurance scale-up in Colombia. Whether these shortcomings exist in relation to other neglected tropical diseases needs investigating."

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: "We identify opportunities for improvement that can inform additional planned health reforms."

For more information on this research see: How universal is coverage and access to diagnosis and treatment for Chagas disease in Colombia? A health systems analysis. Social Science & Medicine, 2017;175():187-198. Social Science & Medicine can be contacted at: Pergamon-Elsevier Science Ltd, The Boulevard, Langford Lane, Kidlington, Oxford OX5 1GB, England. (Elsevier - www.elsevier.com; Social Science & Medicine - www.journals.elsevier.com/social-science-and-medicine/)

Our news journalists report that additional information may be obtained by contacting L. Conteh, Imperial Coll London, Center Outbreak Anal & Modelling, Dept. of Infect Dis Epidemiol, MRCSch Public HlthFac Med, London, United Kingdom. Additional authors for this research include J.M. Manne-Goehler, D. Diaz, P. Nouvellet, O. Bernal, A. Marchiol, M.G. Basanez and L. Conteh.

Keywords for this news article include: London, United Kingdom, Europe, Health Insurance, Diagnostics and Screening, Parasitic Diseases and Conditions, Euglenozoa Infections, Trypanosomiasis, Chagas Disease, Imperial College.

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