Essays on the economic impacts of health shocks on households in low and middle income countries

Given limited evidence on economic impacts of health shocks on households in South Asia the thesis examined the issues using both cross-sectional and longitudinal household surveys from the region applying econometric analyses. The thesis found that health shocks in the form of adult deaths and major illness including non-communicable diseases and traffic injuries incurred significant out-of-pocket healthcare expenditure and reduced household labour supply and earnings in the short-run with negative consequences for child nutrition and education. The negative consequences persist in the long-run, but with lower magnitude than in the short-run. The thesis warrants policy attention for the health shocks-affected households through improved access to healthcare services and social protection benefits.