San Francisco, CA -- (SBWire) -- 05/26/2015 --West Africa has been traumatized by the outbreak of Ebola, a deadly virus that has up to a 70% fatality rate for those who have been infected. The outbreak has pushed the health services beyond their limits, and health spending is threatening to spiral out of control. The West African Health Economic Network (http://wahen.org) was established almost fifteen years ago in order to help West Africa improve its health economy, and create an interaction between researchers and policy makers as to how to deliver the best services most effectively. They are now appealing to policy makers afresh, with an aim to standardize health economic approaches across the region.
The mission is a big one, but an achievable one for the network. When they began work in 2001, there was no discernible health economic research base in the country. After over a decade of tireless work, the infrastructure is now in place, and its positive impacts can begin to be felt across the region.
The Ebola outbreak proved how important standardization was for the countries in the region, with thousands trying to jump the borders to receive what was rumoured to be superior treatment in neighboring countries, effectively aiding the spread of the disease.
A spokesperson for WAHEN.org explained, "We are acutely aware of how important health economy is in the developing world, which is why we started the network in the first place. We are only disappointed that the development of the work has been comparatively slow, having to start from scratch and build a research infrastructure from the ground up. The current situation in West Africa proves the importance of standardization, so we are appealing to policy makers to join us and connect with researchers to discuss how they can move forward together into a better tomorrow."
About WAHEN
The West African Health Economic Network was first conceptualized in 2001, and was designed to fill a void in research, training and systematic contribution to policy making in the area of health economics in the West African region. The aim of WAHEN is to promote and sustain the development, knowledge and application of health economics in West Africa.
For more information please visit: http://wahen.org
