Collaboration on One Health Economics Research for Systems

Project Details

The current outbreak of African Swine Fever (ASF), and previous outbreaks of avian influenzas that have spread to human populations, demonstrates the need to further develop One Health approaches in the Mekong region. Measures need to be put in place to protect populations from these risks.

During a period of rapid economic growth experienced in the region, human health systems have attracted increased public investment, and have made significant progress towards Universal Health Coverage through a mixture of regulatory approaches strengthen the provision of services across the public and private sectors.  In contrast, animal health systems have relied almost wholly on ‘command and control’ approaches to regulation, and do not appear to have attracted significantly increased public investment.

There is a significant gap in the understanding of veterinary service markets globally. Questions that have received attention in relation to human health markets, such as the characteristics of the relevant labour markets, the impacts of alternative financing mechanisms and the nature and consequences of the public-private mix, lack an evidence-based understanding in veterinary markets.

Our research focuses on veterinary service markets with particular attention to their contribution to One Health related outcomes. This project seeks to understand how veterinary service markets in Cambodia, Lao PDR and Vietnam might be better managed, and will look at the balance between incentive management and command and control approaches and to the building of capacities.

Project Objectives

1. Analyse the supply of veterinary services including the public-private mix, the roles played by different categories of provider and the extent to which the key functions needed for One Health are covered in Cambodia.
2. Analyse the public and private demand for veterinary services, including their determinants and how they are changing in Cambodia.
3. Understand a wider range of factors driving behaviours in the veterinary services market, including social and cultural factors and the role played by government agencies in regulating the market.
4. Engage all stakeholders and policymakers in dialogue activities to draw shared meaning from the evidence, develop further research (Laos, Vietnam) and reform.

Researchers

• Prof Barbara McPake
• Prof Peter Annear
• Prof Sumit Kane
• Katherine Gilbert
• Sreytouch Vong
• Dr Angus Campbell
• Dr Justin McKinley Research Fellow

Collaborators

• Dr Suon Sothoeun, National Animal Health and Production Research Institute (Cambodia)
• Dr Sothyra Tum, National Animal Health and Production Research Institute (Cambodia)
• Professor Chea Chhorvann, National Institute of Public Health (Cambodia)
• Dr Has Phalmony, National Institute of Public Health (Cambodia)

Funding

The COHERES project is funded and supported by the Australian Centre for International Agricultural Research (ACIAR)