Current Issue : January - March Volume : 2011 Issue Number : 1 Articles : 7 Articles
Haiti is the poorest country on the American continent. It is also the Caribbean nation where HIV prevalence is the highest: 2.2% of the adults carry the virus. \n\nIn 2005, GHESKIO, a centre for the care of people living with HIV/AIDS; ACME, Association for Cooperation with Micro Enterprise; and Fondation Merieux launched a microcredit programme to help women living with HIV/AIDS. The programme was subsequently extended to vulnerable women who had consulted at GHESKIO. \n\nIn 2006, an impact assessment of the programme among the first 66 women benefiting from a loan showed better living conditions compared to a control group of 30 women with similar initial medical and socioeconomic status but no loan. By mid-2008, 1061 women were the beneficiaries of 1538 loans totalling 11 373 000 gourdes, i.e. approximately 216 000 EUR. Of these, 247 received several loans (up to seven loans to date).\n\nAlthough the women are very poorly educated and live in arduous economic circumstances, the loan repayment records are excellent ââ?¬â?? around 94% as of mid 2008. There is no difference between HIV-negative women and those living with HIV.\n\nCombined with antiretroviral treatment, micro-financing is certainly one of the major instruments for reducing the impact of HIV on the infected populations in countries with limited resources. This programme in Haiti is a demonstration of the feasibility of microcredit in a difficult environment. The great professionalism of the institutions implementing the programme is a key factor in its success....
Background: Little is known about the cost recovery of primary health care facilities in Bangladesh. This study estimated the cost recovery of a primary health care facility run by Building Resources Across Community (BRAC), a large NGO in Bangladesh, for the period of July 2004 - June 2005. This health facility is one of the seven upgraded BRAC facilities providing emergency obstetric care and is typical of the government and private primary health care facilities in Bangladesh. Given the current maternal and child mortality in Bangladesh and the challenges to addressing healthrelated Millennium Development Goal (MDG) targets the financial sustainability of such facilities is crucial.\r\n\r\nMethods: The study was designed as a case study covering a single facility. The methodology was based on the 'ingredient approach' using the allocation techniques by inpatient and outpatient services. Cost recovery of the facility was estimated from the provider's perspective. The value of capital items was annualized using 5% discount rate and its market price of 2004 (replacement value). Sensitivity analysis was done using 3% discount rate.\r\n\r\nResults: The cost recovery ratio of the BRAC primary care facility was 59%, and if excluding all capital costs, it increased to 72%. Of the total costs, 32% was for personnel while drugs absorbed 18%. Capital items were17% of total costs while operational cost absorbed 12%. Three-quarters of the total cost was variable costs. Inpatient services contributed 74% of total revenue in exchange of 10% of total utilization. An average cost per patient was US$ 10 while it was US$ 67 for inpatient and US$ 4 for outpatient.\r\n\r\nConclusion: The cost recovery of this NGO primary care facility is important for increasing its financial sustainability and decreasing donor dependency, and achieving universal health coverage in a developing country setting. However, for improving the cost recovery of the health facility, it needs to increase utilization, efficient planning, resource allocation and their optimum use. It also requires controlling variable costs and preventing any wastage of resources....
After opening up of the economy in most sectors, 1991 onwards, this industry has been no exception and has experienced a gradual development. Several reforms have been initiated in this sector ranging from interest rate liberalization to restructuring of the public sector banks to increased competition and hence efficiency. Banks today are expected to exhibit more discipline. In tune with this, the banking sector has undergone structural changes during the last decade. Methods : The detailed case study analysis of various instruments has been conducted to know its practical implications viz…Debit card, Credit card, Pre-paid cards, e-purse, e-wires of money orders, e-banking, e-loans, Electronic data interchange (EDI), Proliferation of ATM, Smart cards. Conclusion: A critical constraint in this role for banks is poor corporate governance of the banks themselves. When banks are controlled by the government, frequent interference by bureaucrats or politicians limits the scope for relationship banking. In the case of banks that are owned and controlled by family-based business groups, relationship banking is likely to be geared toward maximizing family interests...
Microgrants are a novel concept where small grants are used to facilitate research. The concept might have a place in developing emergency medicine research, especially in countries where emergency medicine is not established or in new areas of research. Two examples of the beneficial effects of microgrants in emergency medicine research are described. Emergency medicine interest groups and foundations should consider setting up microgrant schemes....
Innovations should be done in the insurance sector. Insurance is a good kind of investment by the people for their security and for their future. Thus, insurance sector should take the help of technology for innovations in this sector. Furthermore not only technology works but also bright ideas, masterly strategy or the use of tools, and the fact that best firms are better organized to meet the needs of their people. Methods : A detailed analytical methods on Press release, meeting , seminar , workshop, grievance cell, Insurance Awareness camp, Harmonize Call Centers, Reinvest in client service are used to suggest improvements to define the future strategy. Conclusion : A well-regulated insurance industry which moves with the times by offering its customers tailor-made products to satisfy their financial needs is, therefore, essential if we desire to progress towards a worry-free future....
Background: HIV/AIDS negatively impacts poverty alleviation and food security, which reciprocally hinder the rapid scale up and effectiveness of HIV care programs. Nyanza province has the highest HIV prevalence (15.3%), and is the third highest contributor (2.4 million people) to rural poverty in Kenya. Thus, we tested the feasibility of providing a micro-irrigation pump to HIV-positive farmers in order to evaluate its impact on health and economic advancement among HIV-positive patients and their families.\r\n\r\nMethods: Thirty HIV-positive patients enrolled in the Family AIDS Care and Education Services (FACES) program in Kisumu, Kenya were provided a micro-financed loan to receive an irrigation pump and farming guidance from KickStart, the developer of the pump. Economic data, CD4 counts, household health and loan repayment history were collected 12 months after the pumps were distributed.\r\n\r\nResults: Mean annual family income increased by $1,332 over baseline. CD4 counts did not change significantly. Though income increased, only three (10%) participants had paid off more than a quarter of the loan.\r\n\r\nConclusions: We demonstrated the feasibility of an income-generating micro-irrigation intervention among HIVpositive patients and the collection of health and economic data. While family income improved significantly, loan repayment rates were low- likely complicated by the drought that occurred in Kenya during the intervention period....
This article demonstrates the existence of a causal relationship between perceived quality, satisfaction and commitment in the context of online banking. The results show that the perceived quality heavily influences the commitment of customers and that this effect is direct and not mediated by satisfaction....
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