Trade-offs in health investments

Abstract

In spite of the current medical advancements, the developing world is losing millions of lives each year due mainly to three pervasive illnesses: Malaria, HIV and Chronic Malnutrition. This work analyzes the trade-offs observed between health investments made on these three diseases in Ghana and Nigeria and explores their incidence during the period 2006 to 2015. We use data from the OCDE credit report system data base together with data on incidence from the World Health Organization, World Bank, Global Fund and the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. Results of the cross-analysis of these data show that there are larger investments made in Malaria and HIV in both countries than in chronic malnutrition despite the incidence of the later is higher in Ghana and Nigeria, than the incidence of HIV and Malaria. We identify and discuss several factors that may explain the apparently low investments in chronic malnutrition, as well as the larger investments in HIV and Malaria.