Deadline: Varies
The World Bank is offering a free online course on the Basics of Health Economics. This course is designed for non-health economists who contribute to policy and operational decisions in the health sector, including: (i)Ministry of Health staff at the policy and operational decision-making levels in central and decentralized unit (ii) Ministry of Planning staff working in the health sector.
Certificates will be provided on successful completion of this course.
Course Objectives
The objectives of the course are to:
- Expose participants to the potential contribution of health economics to decision making in the health sector. At the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- use economic rationale to determine when a strong case exists for government action;
- apply economics to improve the efficiency with which health resources are allocated;
- analyze economic arguments to help improve technical efficiency in the health sector; and
- explain how economics can help improve equity in the health sector.
- Introduce participants to the language of economics and health sector reform so they can communicate more effectively with finance ministries. By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
- justify the role of the public sector by correctly identifying market failures; and
- apply the different dimensions of efficiency to ensure a larger return to investments in the health sector.
Course Structure
The course consists of 10 modules, grouped into 3 clusters:
- Cluster 1 asks “Why Health Economics?” and attempts to answer this question by introducing the concepts of equity (Module 1) and efficiency (Module
- Cluster 2 delves into what markets are and how they are different in the health sector. Modules 4-7 deal with the concepts of markets, supply and demand, and reasons why markets may not function well in the health sector.
- Cluster 3 asks “Who pays for what?” Modules 8-10 are concerned with health financing mechanisms (Module 8), health insurance (Module 9), and funding and remuneration in the health sector (Module 10).
Important Dates/Deadlines
There are several sessions for this course. Pick a session that works best for you and submit application on or before the application deadline
- September 02, 2015 – October 07, 2015 (Application Ends On : August 26, 2015 )
- November 11, 2015 – December 16, 2015 (Application Ends On : October 28, 2015 )
- January 06, 2016 – February 10, 2016 ( Application Ends On : December 23, 2015)
- March 30, 2016 – May 04, 2016 ( Application Ends On : March 16, 2016)
How to Apply
Apply online at the World Bank E-Institute.
Note that the World Bank offers several free online courses throughout the year. You can visit the course calendar to apply for other courses that interests you.
For more information please visit World Bank’s E-Institute.
