Key tasks included:

• Provide orientation of provincial health teams on financial analysis of provincial
• Appraise the fiscal situation in the eight provinces, including provincial allocation
• Prepare basic provincial health accounts for eight provinces showing sources and uses of funds.
• Appraise policies, plans, and arrangements for financing provincial health services.
• Compare options for improving provincial health financing and use of funds and consult stakeholders.
• Prepare development reports for provincial accounts showing sources and uses of funds for eight provinces; and
• Generate medium-term provincial health expenditure plans for eight provinces.

Cost analysis of the existing services was conducted with different case scenarios as part of an evaluation of the OPB, including differentiated costs of “routine services” and OPB scenarios for high, medium and low coverage of insurance and costs of offering OPB additionally to “routine services” Additionally, projected cost analysis of offering a new package of services with assumed targets were performed for selected scenarios which included:

• Delivering the package as the only activity
• OPB services additional to the routine services; and
• Delivering an integrated package. The cost analysis included estimates for main budget lines including personnel, drugs and medical supplies and capital expenditure. Calculations were made on the adequacy of the capitation fund and for differing provider payment mechanisms.

Key task included:

• Review cost estimates and overall financing plan for the Project indicating the sources, cost sharing framework, and the foreign currency/local cost split.
• Prepare overall disbursement schedule for the proposed phasing of the Project.
• Review economic and financial analysis for the proposed Project and components. Prepare detailed financial analysis for supplementary appendix of RRP.
• Validate and refine cost estimates, financing plan, cost sharing, lending terms, and economic/financial analyses.
• Prepare the economic and descriptive context of the project components.
• Review financial performance and projections (including recurrent costs) of the implementing agencies (IAs).
• Prepare the financial and economic appraisal and approval criteria for the subprojects and recommend financial covenants;
• Prepare the related sections of the Memorandum of Understanding (MOU), particularly the project justification and the relevant appendixes,
• Assess financial, accounting, and internal control systems of the EA and IAs, and the capabilities of maintaining such systems;
• Examine appropriate disbursement mechanism and assist with the preparation of relevant sections of the draft RRP, including appendices and supplementary appendices; and
• Carry out such other tasks as requested by the Mission Leader, including assistance in preparing government document, additional data requirements, any necessary revisions or adjustments to facilitate government approval of the project proposal.

Key task included:

• Cost project components using Costab 3.2 tables and prepare financing plan
• Show how the project relates to objectives of the health sector as a whole and the need for the services of the project. If the project is to be in the public sector, is there scope for links with the private and NGO sectors through sub-contacting or other forms of collaboration.
• Identify the main beneficiary groups affected by the project. Show how they relate to the Bank’s health sector priorities, in particular, and its strategic objectives, in general
• Identify the main health impacts of the project and consider whether these can be expressed in monetary terms. Where appropriate, justify the project using an economic IRR and NPV calculations
• Prepare a poverty profile of the project influence area. Clearly define the poverty line to be used in the analysis. Use the line agreed in the Partnership Agreement on Poverty Reduction between ADB and the DMC if already available. Indicate the poverty incidence and characteristics of poverty and perception of the people in the project influence area.
• Carry out distribution and poverty impact analysis as outlined in the Handbook and estimate poverty impact ratio (PIR). Spell out the critical assumptions and data sources required to estimate the PIR. Identify the key parameters that include uncertainties and apply sensitivity analysis on the PIR, in addition to the currently practiced sensitivity analysis on FIRR/EIRR. Discuss the extent of the reliability of the PIR estimation and qualify the result.
• Identify the financing arrangements for the project with a view to establishing a system that will be financially sustainable. If the project is not self financing consider the scope for government funding particularly of recurrent expenditure and provide an assessment of the budgetary implications for the government.

Fact finding to reach an agreement with the Government of Vietnam on objective, scope, cost estimate, financing and implementation arrangements of the Project. Key components of the Project included:

• Leadership and strategy support for HIV/AIDS prevention among youth; national mass media program for behaviour change;
• Community-based HIV/AIDS prevention resources for youth including harm reduction outreach services,
• HIV prevention for vulnerable youth, and primary prevention programs for youth and families; and
• Project management, capacity building, monitoring, and evaluation.

Key tasks for the consultant included reviewing the economic and financial analysis of the overall project and assisting the Mission Leader in the preparation of the draft RRP and all related documents, with an emphasis on the economic and financial analysis, and contract packaging.

General objectives of the Joint Assessment included:

• Assist government in finalizing developing a detailed the medium-term national Avian Influenza operational program;
• Evaluate the National operational program in terms of its breadth and its prioritization and sequencing of activities, and,
• Develop a comprehensive financing plan for the implementation of the Work Program, including support from all ODAs and identifying possible financing gaps.

Key tasks for the consultant include costing plan components using Costab 3.2 tables, preparation of financing plan and contract packaging. The results of the evaluation were summarized in a Joint Evaluation Report to be endorsed by the international donor community and used as the reference for the activities to be supported by the donor agencies.

Conducted resource needs estimations, based on costing of a minimum package of effective interventions for HIV prevention aimed at adolescents and young people, with differential analysis for estimating required resources for HIV prevention interventions aimed at the “most-at-risk” (MARAs) and especially vulnerable adolescents (EVAs), and the general population of young people, perceived at “low or no” risk of HIV. Specific packages costed for following packages:

• Peer education and outreach
• Youth friendly services, including STI diagnosis and treatment and HIV testing and counselling services
• Services aimed at reducing drug related harm
• Life skills based education (in school)
• Peer education, outreach in community
• Information, education and communication (IEC) campaigns
• Mass media campaigns; and
• Policy interventions

Methods included:
• Establish unit cost of each of the above intervention
• Establish critical level of coverage of the target population for EVA and low risk young people
• Summarise the population size for the various populations of young people from existing literature and demographic studies
• Derive at a total estimated resource need for each sub population for East Asia and the Pacific

Financial and economic analysis of HIV/AIDS impact in Asia and the Pacific. Estimates were prepared for different levels of HIV/AIDS prevalence (using Goals Model – Futures Group). Reporting to the UNAIDS South East Asia Inter Country Team (SEAPICT) and ADB, a draft report on the socio-economic impact of HIV/AIDS in the region was prepared. Economic impact research focused on:

• Sectoral levels, especially on health services,
• Macro levels, demographic indicators (adult mortality, life expectancy, infant mortality, disability adjusted life years ) and gross domestic product, and
• Household levels, including incomes, savings, assets, schooling and family size for different countries.

Findings were launched at a press conference preceding the Bangkok 2004 AIDS Conference by Dr Peter Piot (Executive Director, UNAIDS) and Gerry van der Linden (Vice President, Asian Development Bank). Study featured in 5-page article in Far Eastern Economic Review and International Herald Tribune.

Economic analysis of Asian Development Bank (ADB) financed health policy reform projects across 9 countries in Asia and the Pacific for the Operations Evaluation Department. Key tasks include:

• Prepare an economic analysis of ADB’s assistance in the health sector and related fields, such as nutrition/early childhood development, population/reproductive health.
• Collect data and information needed in analyzing and evaluating the Policy, and verify the accuracy and quality of data and information gathered and submitted.
• Evaluate and provide an analysis of the efficiency and sustainability of ADB’s assistance to the health sector in relation to the health policy in the selected countries.
• Review the administrative mechanisms and matters relating to financing of the health sector, including support of key development partners, NGOs, and the private sector.
• Assess whether ADB has the appropriate modalities in providing its assistance in the health sector; and
• Prepare project report and assist with project implementation.

The study assessed the economic impact of the HIV/AIDS epidemic.
Key task included:

• Conduct poverty analysis and develop a poverty profile that quantifies the poverty impact of HIV/AIDS, including at a gender disaggregated level, focusing on incomes, savings, assets, schooling, family size and the vulnerability of the poor and the near-poor to health-related shocks in selected countries in the Asia and Pacific region.
• Contribute to other economic analysis arising from the RETA including providing insights /commentary / analysis on HIV/AIDS resource tracking, national AIDS spending assessment, estimation of resource need, cost effectiveness, and household level studies.
• Facilitate on-time submission of formal written reports, including the draft and the final reports.
• Review, analyse and comment upon submission of technical reports and papers that could be required for either the United Nations Commission on AIDS and / or ICAAAP 8 with a view to ensuring highest professional standards of approaches.
• Participate actively in major meetings of the Economic Technical Reference Group that may be called over the period of the assignment, adding value to the discussion, giving a focus to quality assurance and technical rigour to approaches and methodologies under consideration; and keeping stakeholders at the meetings abreast of latest thinking and approaches in the field of health economics as it relates to HIV/AIDS.

Responsible for report preparation and finalisation, economic impact modelling and liaison with regional public health officials. Paper presented at ICAPP – & was covered by Times of India as lead health story http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/HealthScience/Rich_unfaithful_men_spur_AIDS_

in_Asia/articleshow/2305465.cms

• Conduct economic evaluation (ex-post) of the Laos Primary Health Care Expansion project. Key impacts in the analysis include cost savings from improved health care and reduced labour productivity losses associated with ill health. Cash flow model developed and sensitivity analysis undertaken. Analysis documented in report.
• Estimate the economic impact of highly pathogenic avian influenza in Viet Nam, Thailand, Cambodia and China using macro modelling. Farm, health sector and national impacts valued and documented in research paper for the WHO/ADB Greater Mekong Sub region, Communicable Diseases Forum in Guilin, China, 29 August 2005.
• In conjunction with Oxford Economic Forecasting (OEF), estimate the macroeconomic impacts – GDP, industrial output, labour supply, consumer spending, trade balance and exchange rate implications from growth in HIV/AIDS prevalence in India, Indonesia, China, Thailand and Philippines using OEF’s macro model.
• Formulate HIV/AIDS Strategy for the ADB in the Mekong. The strategy focus on current trends in the pandemic, sources of domestic and international finances to curb escalating rates of infection and identifying key gaps and strategic direction for ADB investment.

General objectives of assignment included:

• Participate in Joint Donor Missions, ,
• Develop comprehensive cost needs and financing plans for the implementation of National AI Work Programs; and
• Link Joint Mission outcomes to ADB AI-related project objectives and implementation in the region. Brief bank and other relevant stakeholders in regard to AI prevention activities facilitated by domestic and foreign agencies and key gaps to be addressed.

UNAIDS constituted an independent “Commission on AIDS in Asia and the Pacific” in May 2006. The principle mandate of the Commission is to conduct an objective analysis of developmental consequences of the AIDS epidemic in the region, and its medium to long term implications on the socio-economic environment. The Commission will also provide various effective policy options to mobilize leaders to adequately fight against the pandemic. This consultancy supported the development of background papers relating to HIV/AIDS impacts in the region and economic analysis of future prevalence scenarios.

Financial analysis of international airport development project in SE Asia for Asian Development Bank. Airport cash flow model developed for airside and terminal businesses. P&L and balance sheets prepared for privatisation (BOT) and joint venture options based upon selected project finance, debt, equity and air-traffic scenarios (Pacific Consultants International – Asia).

Development of project evaluation and monitoring guidelines for Asian Development Bank financing of agricultural and natural resources research projects. Guidelines include:

• Rationale as to why ADB supports natural resources research and value CGIAR and non-CG centres bring to this objective;
• Review of research financing experience and concerns that have emerged in the last few years,
• Outline of the selection process- including consultation with stakeholders, rationale for the proposed investment, expected benefits, development of benefit monitoring and logical project framework, understanding with agriculture ministries, links with ADB projects, the country strategy; and
• Overview of the time schedule for submission of proposals- including process of scrutiny and evaluation, along with yard sticks that will be applied for accepting or rejecting proposals.

Above elements incorporated in administration, monitoring, reporting and evaluation framework. Guidelines to be used for assessing and managing ADB natural resources research investments

Economic evaluation of Foot and Mouth Disease (FMD) management projects in Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam. Livestock production systems characterized and impact of targeted vaccination programs and improved surveillance evaluated. Cost-benefit analysis of project costs and animal health benefits undertaken. Report prepared for marketing purposes.