Investigating the impact of socioeconomic inequalities on burden and risk for multimorbidity in rural and urban Malawi
Supervisors:
Prof Emma McIntosh, School of Health & Wellbeing (University of Glasgow)
Dr Owen Nkoka, School of Health & Wellbeing (University of Glasgow)
Dr Lucky Ngwira, Health Economics Policy Unit (Kamuzu University of Health Sciences)
Summary:
In Malawi, even more so than in wealthier countries, socioeconomic inequalities challenge health care provision and, particularly for those with multiple conditions, associated out-of-pocket expenses may impose catastrophic health expenditures for individuals and families. Fragmented vertical health services may only manage single conditions, requiring multiple attendances each month. The impact of these challenges is likely to be greater on the most vulnerable members of the community. Understanding better the extent to which socioeconomic inequalities over the life course (including place of birth and residency (rural vs urban), parents and individual’s occupation and education) influence not only burden and patterns of multimorbidity but also access to diagnosis and management of multiple conditions and subsequent long-term health trajectory, will inform health policy recommendations and resource allocation of prevention and management of multimorbidity.
This PhD will enable access to the largest, most detailed study of long-term conditions and socio-economic data in low-income Africa, and the opportunity to design and implement a study to capture associated health expenditures.