Impact of a Pneumonia Diagnosis and Treatment Initiative on Healthcare Costs among Smallholder Farmers in Northern Ethiopia

Pneumonia is a significant cause of morbidity and mortality among smallholder farmers in northern Ethiopia, particularly affecting those living in rural areas with limited access to healthcare. A mixed-methods approach involving surveys and focus group discussions among 150 randomly selected smallholder farmers from four districts in Tigray Region, collected data over one year. The analysis revealed that the initiative led to a significant reduction in out-of-pocket healthcare costs by approximately 30% for participants who received treatment compared to those who did not. The pneumonia diagnosis and treatment initiative was effective in mitigating financial burdens on smallholder farmers, particularly in terms of reducing their healthcare expenditures. Continued support from health authorities is recommended to ensure sustainable implementation of such initiatives and potentially broader benefits across the region. Treatment effect was estimated with $\text{logit}(p_i)=\beta_0+\beta^\top X_i$, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.