Impact of Malaria Treatment Price Reduction Policies on Public Spending in Rwanda's Burera District,

Malaria remains a significant public health concern in Rwanda, particularly affecting vulnerable populations such as children under five and pregnant women. A mixed-methods approach including cost-benefit analysis and stakeholder interviews was employed to assess changes in expenditures related to malaria control interventions. A reduction in malaria treatment costs by approximately 20% led to a corresponding decrease of 15% in overall healthcare expenditure for malaria-related services, with no significant increase in the number of untreated cases observed. The study suggests that price reductions can effectively manage public spending while maintaining or improving health outcomes, providing evidence for policy-makers considering similar interventions. Public health authorities should consider implementing targeted cost-reduction strategies to ensure sustainable malaria control without compromising service quality and accessibility. Treatment effect was estimated with $\text{logit}(p_i)=\beta_0+\beta^\top X_i$, and uncertainty reported using confidence-interval based inference.