Cost estimation for scale-up of voucher services in Kenya
This document reports on the Government of Kenya's Output-Based Aid (OBA) vouchers program—an affordable strategy to meet the international and national objectives for improved maternal and reproductive health. To help achieve the global Millennium Development Goals related to maternal and child health, the Kenyan government has launched several initiatives including this Vision 2030 flagship program which harmonizes global and national objectives by improving access and enhancing equity in health service delivery. The report finds that the three maternal health MDG indicators—maternal mortality rate, rate of institutional deliveries, and contraceptive prevalence—can all be improved substantially by scaling up the OBA program. Finding the right reimbursement rate for facilities will be an important activity that will need to be repeated on a periodic basis. Overall, planning for a scaled up program should take account of the valuable lessons from the pilot OBA scheme to enhance the scaled up program as far as possible and minimize potential risks and challenges.