Comparative analysis of economic evaluation techniques for healthcare initiatives

The COVID-19 pandemic of 2020 has highlighted the vulnerability of global health systems and the need for resilient health infrastructures capable of meeting current and emerging challenges. In response, governments around the world are reassessing their health systems and recognizing the urgency of change. This paper provides an overview of economic evaluation techniques used to assess the feasibility of health interventions, particularly relevant in the current context of increased funding for health systems strengthening. Economic evaluation techniques such as Cost-Effectiveness analysis (CEA), Cost-Utility analysis (CUA), Least-Cost Analysis (LCA), and Cost-Benefit Analysis (CBA) are reviewed, each with its limitations and challenges, especially when applied to the complex health sector. The paper highlights the need for critical evaluation of methodologies and suggests future research directions aimed at overcoming these limitations, possibly through integrated approaches or additional quality assessment techniques such as Multi-Criteria Analysis (MCA).