In a recent research priority ranking on reduction of stillbirths and preterm deliveries at the community level, the highest ranked question was: "Evaluate the financial barriers to facility births at the community level (user fee exemption, emergency loans, conditional cash transfers, transportation vouchers, etc)." [ 32].
Following national guidelines, mothers/guardians of children ≤5 years old were advised to go the health centre for a 6-month prophylaxis with isoniazid, and a special transfer voucher was delivered to them for this.
Innovations in financing such as conditional cash transfers, vouchers, provider subsidies and equity funds may have the potential to increase access to health services by the poor [ 12, 14- 16].
Demand-side interventions were defined as interventions designed to increase utilization of maternal health services either through financial incentives (cash transfers, vouchers) or through the provision of information by participatory women's groups or other community-based education efforts.
Unlike abolition of user fees and conditional cash transfers, vouchers aim to improve service delivery through explicit performance-based contracting with service providers based on set minimum standards of care as well as through stimulating competition for voucher clients [ 10, 15].
The main approaches to improving demand for maternal and reproductive health are: conditional cash transfers; voucher schemes, and community-based and social health insurance.
Background: The Evaluation of the Unconditional Cash Transfer and Voucher Programmes in Southern and Central Somalia includes all unconditional cash and voucher programmes implemented by 15 NGOs between August 2011 and December 2012 in response to the crisis.
The possibility of more sustained, continuous assistance provided through cash transfer or voucher mechanisms negates many of the barriers faced in providing in-kind assistance.
Neither community members, local councils, nor NGO staff participating in key informant interviews identified security or protection risks specific to cash transfer or voucher program implementation.
No studies have considered exchange rate volatility in evaluations of intervention efficiency or compared the cost-efficiency of cash transfers to vouchers and in-kind assistance in Syria (Doocy et al. 2016).
Several interventions are currently being developed and tested, including franchising and contracting, social health insurance, conditional cash transfers and vouchers.
