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. 2024 Jun 7;21(1):82.
doi: 10.1186/s12978-024-01812-2.

The impact of a reproductive health voucher in Uganda using a quasi-experimental matching design

Christian Andersson  1   2 , Tonny Kawuki  3 , Jonas Månsson  4 , Christine Nankaja  3 , Krister Sund  1   5 , Emma Wigren  1 , Mathias Mulumba Zungu  3
Affiliations

The impact of a reproductive health voucher in Uganda using a quasi-experimental matching design

Christian Andersson et al. Reprod Health. .

Abstract

This study assesses the impact of a voucher project that targeted vulnerable and poor pregnant women in Uganda. Highly subsidised vouchers gave access to a package of safe delivery services consisting of four antenatal visits, safe delivery, one postnatal visit, the treatment and management of selected pregnancy-related medical conditions and complications, and emergency transport. Vouchers were sold during the project's operational period from 2016 to 2019. This study covers 8 out of 25 project-benefiting districts in Uganda and a total of 1,881 pregnancies, including both beneficiary and non-beneficiary mothers. Using a matching design, the results show a positive effect on the survival of new-born babies. The difference in the survival rate between the control group and the treatment group is 5.4% points, indicating that the voucher project reduced infant mortality by more than 65 per cent.

Keywords: Infant mortality; Matching; Maternity services; Quasi-experimental trial; Uganda; Voucher.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Kernel density plots of the estimated propensity scores for the control and treated groups
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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