The Regional meeting on Health systems strengthening for treatment access produced a set of guiding principles to inform approaches to treatment access. These are posted on the Equinet site as a discussion document for your comments.
Latest Equinet Updates
Ensuring universal treatment access through sustainable public health systems
EQUINET Brief
EQUINET, June 2016
This brief introduces EQUINET, our organisation, work and the lessons we have learned in the struggle for equity and social justice in health. EQUINET is a consortium network of institutions registered in different countries in the region, with its secretariat at TARSC, a non-profit organization registered in Zimbabwe. The network constitution sets out its vision, principles, composition, structures, governance and procedures. The network is governed by a steering committee of institutions leading key areas of work from within and beyond east and southern Africa. The steering committee includes academic, government, civil society, parliament and non-profit institutions that co-ordinate different theme, process and country activities in the network and the secretariat. The five clusters of EQUINET work are: 1. Cross cutting equity analysis, integrating work in other clusters and the pra4equity network on PAR and the newsletter, together with theme work on the equity watch and district health systems. 2. Health rights and the law, integrating work of the learning network on heath rights, theme work on law and constitutional rights in health, and work in national networks. 3. Fairly resourcing health systems, integrating theme work on health financing and health workers. 4. Social empowerment for health, integrating theme work on health centre committees, and with parliamentarians and civil society. 5. Global engagement, including work on trade and health and health diplomacy.
EQUINET Call for applicants: Desk review on “A critical assessment of different health financing options in east and southern African countries”
Call closes 5pm September 8 2018
This critical assessment of different health financing options in east and southern African countries is being commissioned by the Regional Network for Equity in Health in East and Southern Africa (EQUINET) through and in collaboration with key regional partners. It aims to inform policy makers on the positive and negative implications and issues to consider in applying the different domestic public health financing options current being explored, advocated and implemented in east and southern Africa - including mandatory national health insurance; social health insurance, community based health insurance, voluntary insurance, earmarked taxes, wealth taxes, other direct/ indirect taxes and other sources. Read more at the link shown.
Further details: /newsletter/id/63573
Equinet call for participants and abstracts
Regional Meeting on Strategies for Equitable Allocation of Health Care Resources,
Johannesburg, 18-20 April 2005
This call invites applicants to participate in and present work at the EQUINET regional meeting on “Strategies for Equitable Allocation of health care Resources,” being held in co-operation with the Health Economics Unit, University of Cape Town (HEU) and the Centre for Health Policy, University of the Witwatersrand (CHP) in Johannesburg, South Africa, 18-20 April 2005.
Further details: /newsletter/id/30829
EQUINET Case study: Review of Constitutional Provisions on the Right to Health in Uganda
Centre for Human Rights and Development (CEHURD)
This case study is produced by the Centre for Human Rights and Development (CEHURD) in the theme work on health rights and law of the Regional Network for Equity in Health in East and Southern Africa (EQUINET). It examines how the right to health is enforced in Uganda, how it was implemented, and how health rights advocates have suggested the provision be constitutionally interpreted. It is a follow up on the results of work on the right to health that highlighted a need to do further studies in countries that do not have expressed provision on the rights to health. While the right to health is yet to be explicitly incorporated in the Ugandan constitution, the case study points to a number of ways to implement it within judicial, political and popular measures. Several issues merit future attention to support this, including: developing increased measures and capacities for accountability; integrating a rights based approach in a multi-sectoral response; ensuring adequate resources to the health system; strengthening judicial understanding and implementation of health rights; and strengthening issue based civil society groups and processes that are focused on advancing the right to health with the intention to realize positive public and policy outcomes.
EQUINET Conference Abstract submission CLOSING January 30 2009!
Regional conference on equity in health in east and southern Africa, Uganda 23-25 September 2009
The closing date for abstract submission for EQUINET Regional Conference on Equity in Health in east and southern Africa is on January 30 2009. Please visit the conference website to download the abstract form and the registration form for submission. Preference for sponsorship will be given to accepted abstracts. We look forward to welcoming people from government, non state organisations, academic and research institutions, civil society, parliaments, regional and international organisations and other institutions promoting and working on equity in health in east and southern Africa! For more information, please visit the conference website at http://www.equinetafrica.org/conference2009/index.php or send queries to admin@equinetafrica.org, with EQUINET CONFERENCE in the subject line.
EQUINET Conference September 23-25 2009 - Registration Closing June 30 2009!
EQUINET Regional Conference on Equity in Health in east and southern Africa, Munyonyo, Uganda September 23rd -25th 2009
Registration for the EQUINET conference is nearly closing. We look forward to welcoming people from government, non state organisations, academic and research institutions, civil society, parliaments, regional and international organisations and other institutions promoting and working on equity in health in east and southern Africa!
Registration information is at register for the conference and the pre and post conference workshops. Visit the conference website for further information and to see the programme outline.
EQUINET Discussion paper 102: African participation and partnership in performance-based financing: A case study in global health policy
Barnes A; Brown G; Harman S; Papamichail A; Banda P; Hayes R; Muliamba C : EQUINET, Harare, June 2014
Participation is a key policy concept in global health, and relates to the ability of stakeholders to engage with and shape health policy at four intersecting levels: local, national, regional and global. Such engagement remains the key normative aim behind debates about furthering more equitable health diplomacy and has, as a result, been increasingly integrated into the agenda of global agencies, including the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria and the World Bank. This report forms part of a research programme led by EQUINET focusing on the participation of African actors in global health diplomacy. The report focuses on the participation of African actors in global health governance. In an attempt to better understand the spaces and places within which participation can occur, and particularly the ways in which global actors such as the Global Fund and the World Bank provide such opportunities, the research explored the following questions: • How do the Global Fund and World Bank provide spaces for participation in global health governance processes? • To what extent can African actors nationally and regionally extend their agency within these participatory spaces? • What role does the World Health Organisation (WHO) and its own governance play in the interface between African actors and the Global Fund and World Bank?
EQUINET Discussion paper 103: The engagement of east and southern African countries on the WHO Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel and its implementation
Dambisya YM; N Malema; Dulo C; Matinhure S; Kadama P: June 2014
The World Health Organisation (WHO) ‘Global Code of Practice on the International Recruitment of Health Personnel’ (hereinafter called the “Code”) adopted by the World Health Assembly (WHA) in May 2010 was the culmination of efforts by many different actors to address the maldistribution and shortages of health workers globally. African stakeholders influenced the development of the Code, but two years after its adoption only four African countries had designated national authorities, and only one had submitted a report to the WHO secretariat. This synthesis report is part of the Regional Network for Equity in Health (EQUINET) programme of work on Contributions of global health diplomacy to health systems in sub-Saharan Africa: Evidence and information to support capabilities for health diplomacy in east and southern Africa. The programme aims to identify factors that support the effectiveness of global health diplomacy (GHD) in addressing selected key challenges to health strengthening systems in eastern and southern Africa (ESA). The report compiles evidence from various research strategies undertaken to examine the above issues surrounding the WHO Code that involved an extensive review of literature; a ‘fast-talk’ session at the 66th World Health Assembly in May 2013 involving stakeholders from African countries to gauge views and concerns relating to the Code; a region-wide questionnaire survey implemented in 2013 to obtain views of government informants on issues affecting and measures for managing health workers, including migration of health workers in ESA countries; and three country case studies undertaken in Kenya, Malawi and South Africa concluded in 2014 to provide an in-depth exposition of perspectives on the Code and its implementation.
EQUINET Discussion paper 107: Literature Review: Essential health benefits in east and southern Africa
Todd G; Mamdani M; Loewenson R: IHI, Tanzania, TARSC, EQUINET, Harare, June 2016
An Essential Health Benefit (EHB) is a policy intervention designed to direct resources to priority areas of health service delivery to reduce disease burdens and ensure equity in health. Many east and southern Africa (ESA) countries have introduced or updated EHBs in the 2000s. Recognising this, EQUINET, through Ifakara Health Institute and Training and Research Support Centre is implementing research to understand the role of facilitators and the barriers to nationwide application of the EHB in resourcing, organising and in accountability on integrated health services. This literature review provides background evidence to inform the case study work and regional dialogue. It compiles evidence from published and public domain literature on EHBs in sixteen ESA countries, including information on the motivations for developing the EHBs; the methods used to develop, define and cost them; how they are being disseminated and communicated within countries; how they are being used in budgeting, resourcing and purchasing health services and in monitoring health system performance for accountability; and the facilitators and barriers to their development, uptake or use.