FairChoices

The FairChoices research group is part of the Bergen Centre for Ethics and Priority Setting in Health (BCEPS) and has developed the FairChoices: DCP Analytics Tool, a health sector priority setting tool for policy and research which uses low- and middle-income countries’ population needs and health system goals to estimate impact on population health and health budgets. The tool includes 100+ interventions from 80+ countries. It builds on the values of excellence, fairness, and collaboration.

Photo: BCEPS

Affiliation

About the research group

FairChoices: DCP Analytics Tool

The FairChoices: DCP Analytics Tool, developed by the FairChoices Research Group, continues to evolve as a crucial instrument in health analytics, addressing public health functions and intersectoral interventions targeting risk factors. Users can measure, forecast, and optimize the impact of benefit packages on outcomes such as life expectancy, financial risk protection, and equity.

The tool can be accessed from the official FairChoices website (external link).

Screenshot of the FairChoices tool — Image of the FairChoices: DCP Analytics Tool interface. Photo: BCEPS

Impact and Collaborations

FairChoices served as the primary analytics tool for the Lancet Commission on Investing in Health, which presented its report at the World Health Summit 2024 in Berlin, Germany, garnering attention from global health leaders.

In-Country Work

FairChoices is currently being employed as the main analytics tool for 10-year health reforms in Nepal, Ghana, and Tanzania. Collaborating with the respective Ministries of Health, we aim to identify critical healthcare interventions. National essential healthcare package reports are anticipated for publication in 2025. Additionally, in Zanzibar, we are establishing processes for ongoing evaluation of prioritised healthcare interventions, enabling timely resource allocation adjustments where progress is lacking.

Nepal: From left: Roshan Pokhrel (Ministry of Health and Population), Kjell Arne Johansson, Ravi Mishra, Jon Tvinnereim, Krishna Aryal. Photo: BCEPS — Nepal: From left: Roshan Pokhrel (Ministry of Health and Population, Nepal), Kjell Arne Johansson (FairChoices team leader), Ravi Mishra (BCEPS, UiB), Jon Tvinnereim, Krishna Aryal (BCEPS, UiB). Photo: BCEPS

Tanzania: From left: Amani Thomas Mori, Ole Frithjof Norheim, Elizabeth Mallya, Austen Davis, Oddvar Kaarbøe, George Ruhago. Photo: BCEPS — Tanzania: From left: Amani Thomas Mori (BCEPS, UiB), Ole Frithjof Norheim (Harvard University; BCEPS, UiB), Elizabeth Mallya, Austen Davis (Norad; BCEPS, UiB), Oddvar Kaarbøe (BCEPS, UiB), George Ruhago (BCEPS, UiB). Photo: BCEPS

Educational Outreach

The FairChoices framework was integrated into the Bergen Summer Research School at the University of Bergen, with BCEPS courses providing an introduction to priority setting in health. Workshops and training sessions were also conducted in Nepal, Tanzania, and Ghana, fostering local capacity-strengthening.

Additional educational video and text materials can be accessed free of charge on the "Classroom" section of the FairChoices website (external link).