What role do cash transfers and social protection schemes play in mitigating the effects of the COVID-19 crisis? What additional implementation and design features should policy-makers consider in developing their cash transfer and other social protection programs to ensure ease of access for vulnerable populations to these schemes? What are some strategies to strengthen health systems in response to the pandemic to ensure continuity of health services?
Join us for a webinar series, hosted by J-PAL South Asia and the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, from late July to August presenting research funded by the Cash Transfers for Child Health (CaTCH) Initiative at J-PAL South Asia that speaks to the challenges posed by the COVID-19 crisis.
The Effects of India’s COVID-19 Lockdown on Non-COVID Health Care-seeking, Morbidity, and Mortality, August 26, 2020
Speakers: Pascaline Dupas (J-PAL affiliated professor, Stanford University) and Radhika Jain (Stanford University), moderated by Stefan Nachuk (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation)
On March 24th 2020, India imposed one of the most severe nationwide lockdowns in the world to control the spread of COVID-19. This panel presents research on the effects of the lockdown on critical chronic care and routine child care. The researchers use phone surveys conducted between June and August 2020 to document the effects of the lockdown on access to and utilization of health services, as well as health outcomes. The study finds evidence of substantial disruptions to care due to the lockdown, with only partial recovery in the following months, and large negative impacts on morbidity and mortality. The results highlight the unintended consequences of the lockdown on critical and life-saving non-COVID health services that must be taken into account in the implementation of future policy efforts to control the spread of this and future pandemics.
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Recordings of Past Webinars
Improving Health Service Delivery and Utilization, with Manoj Mohanan (Duke University), Tom Newton-Lewis (Oxford Policy Management), Saachi Bhalla, (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation), moderated by Priya Nanda (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation)
Inclusive Growth Dividend: An Income Transfer Approach to Social Protection, with Karthik Muralidharan (J-PAL affiliated professor, University of California, San Diego); Ashok Meena (Principal Secretary Finance, Government of Odisha, India) moderated by Shagun Sabarwal (J-PAL South Asia)
Protecting the Poor from COVID-19 Shock, with Rema Hanna (J-PAL affiliated professor, Harvard Kennedy School), Ben Olken (Director, J-PAL, Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Asha Krishnan (Haqdarshak), moderated by Suneeta Krishnan (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation)
