PhD Completion Seminar Tianxin Pan

The Economic Impact of Non-communicable Diseases on Household Welfare Over Time in China

The rapidly rising burden of non-communicable diseases (NCDs) in China affects health needs among individuals and households and threatens to create an increased financial burden on households. In 2017, 8.6 million people died from NCDs, comprising nearly 90 per cent of total deaths in China. In a setting where health service benefit packages and financial reimbursements of health insurance schemes are incomplete, the onset of an NCD can divert scarce household resources to health-related expenditures and can lead to reduced income and productive capacity of the household.

This PhD projects use two nationally representative longitudinal datasets to investigate the economic impact of NCDs on household welfare over time in China. It examines the risk factors associated with NCD diagnosis, the coping mechanisms adopted in response to NCDs, and the economic consequences of delaying NCD treatment on health service utilisation and health expenditures.

Supervisors:

Tianxin is a PhD candidate at Nossal Institute for Global Health. She completed her Bachelor degree in Health Management from Nanjing Medical University and her Masters of Social Medicine and Health Management from Peking Union Medical College. Her research interests are health economics, health systems and international health cooperation