Cost-Effectiveness of Youth-Friendly Health Services in Health Post Settings in Jimma Zone, Ethiopia

This study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of implementing Youth-Friendly Health Services (YFHS) in rural health posts in Jimma Zone, Ethiopia, to improve adolescent sexual and reproductive health (SRH). Using an ingredient-based costing approach and modeling health outcomes through disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) averted, the study found that YFHS reached nearly five times more adolescents than routine services and significantly improved health outcomes, including increased antenatal care and contraceptive use. The intervention averted 52.11 DALYs at an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER) of USD 25.50 per DALY—well below Ethiopia’s GDP per capita—making it highly cost-effective by WHO standards. The findings support scaling YFHS through Health Extension Workers as a transformative strategy to promote SRH equity and universal health coverage.

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