Costs of Implementing an Integrated Package of Maternal and Pediatric Interventions Including SQ-LNS in Rural Niger

Area of Science:

• Maternal and child health interventions
• Nutritional supplementation programs
• Health economics and cost analysis

Background:

• The 1000 Days Program in Niger integrated maternal and pediatric care, introducing small-quantity lipid-based nutritional supplements (SQ-LNS) for children aged 6-23 months.
• This program aimed to improve health outcomes through a comprehensive package of preventive and curative services.

Purpose of the Study:

• To estimate the total and incremental costs of implementing the integrated 1000 Days Program.
• To identify cost drivers within the program, particularly for new interventions.

Main Methods:

• Activity-based costing was employed to analyze the costs of 10 program activities.
• The study differentiated between standard care costs and incremental costs of new interventions.

Main Results:

• The total program cost was US$2.31 million for 9000 mother-child pairs, averaging US$257 per pair or US$103 per year.
• New interventions constituted 56% of total costs, with SQ-LNS accounting for 30% of these incremental costs.
• Potential cost savings of 15% were identified through efficiency measures.

Conclusions:

• This is the first study to cost an integrated maternal-child health package including SQ-LNS.
• Scaling the program nationally in Niger presents financial challenges, necessitating efficiency improvements and external funding.
• The findings can guide future resource mobilization and financing strategies for similar large-scale health programs.