Members of the EQUINET steering committee will be presenting work at the First Global Symposium on Health Systems Research, November 16-19 2010. EQUINET (through TARSC), with CGESS Guatemala and SATHI India is holding a session reviewing experiences with participatory action research (PAR) on health systems in Latin America, Africa, Asia and North America. In a roundtable, the case studies from the four regions will be presented and discussed to examine and reflect on the shared learning on health systems derived from PAR, the methods used and their application in health systems research and policy change. EQUINET will also have a marketplace stand at the Symposium and welcome visitors to the stand to see publications and hear more about the work of the network.
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EQUINET will award a number of small grants to post graduate students and undergraduate students in East and Southern Africa for research proposals in the areas of
1. Revitalising and building national peoples’ health systems
2. Organising people’s power for health
3. Ensuring fair financing of an equitable health system
4. Ensuring the human resources for health
5. Challenging trade liberalization and encroachment on health
The final date for applications is October 7 2005.
EQUINET will place its next call for student grants in July 2005 so watch this space! EQUINET will be calling for students in undergraduate and postgraduate study to apply for grants in work on health and health systems that reflect EQUINET values of equity, social justice and the right to health.
This briefing describes the programme of student research grants in EQUINET and invites applicants for the third round of grants. The Regional Network for Equity in Health in Southern Africa (EQUINET) promotes policies for equity in health across a range of priority theme areas (See www.equinetafrica.org) EQUINET has over the years, organized its work in various theme areas, including: economic and trade policy and health; human rights, governance and participation, equity in health sector responses to HIV/AIDS, human resources for health; monitoring and surveillance and others. Within these areas of work EQUINET aims to identify, recruit and build capacity and analysis.
A three day skills workshop on PARTICIPATORY ACTION RESEARCH IN PEOPLE CENTRED HEALTH SYSTEMS is being hosted by EQUINET. It will include a one day workshop on 4 October hosted hosted by TARSC and the Regional Network for Equity in Health in east and southern Africa (EQUINET) and Asociación Latinoamericana de Medicina Social (ALAMES), following the Global Symposium on Health Systems Research (30th Sept–3rd October). The workshop will be held to deepen the discussion on the use of participatory action research in health policy and people centred health systems, including in acting on the social determinants of health. The workshops aim to deepen capacities in the use of participatory action research (PAR) particularly on
• Experiences and learning of the pra4equity network in using PAR and future work of the pra4equity network
• Knowledge and research paradigms and how they are reflected in the features and process of PAR
• Applying the theory and process of PAR in practice: Methods and tools for PAR; issues in and experiences of implementation
• Meta-analysis across sites and use of new technologies in PAR
• Ethical issues in PAR, and
• Documenting and reporting PAR
It will draw on and distribute the Reader on Participatory Action Research in Health system developed by EQUINET with the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research and IDRC Canada.
EQUINET will hold a Workshop on ‘Participatory action research in people centred health systems’ immediately after the Global Symposium on Health Systems Research ending 3rd October as a one day post symposium workshop (4th October) and a two day skills training (5-6 October) in Cape Town South Africa. We invite you to send us expressions of interest in participating in the workshop and will post more information on the workshops on the EQUINET website in May.
In 2014 EQUINET and partners are finalising and reporting work in case study areas of global engagement in health that were defined as priorities in global health diplomacy (GHD) by senior officials and Ministers in 2011 for the region. The three case study areas are:
1. Implementation of the WHO Code on international Recruitment of health personnel:
2. Collaborating on access to essential drugs through south- south relationships with China, Brazil and India:
3. The involvement of African actors in global health governance on universal access to prevention and treatment for HIV and AIDS
The research work is being finalised and the evidence will be shared through policy dialogue forums, drawing strategic advice on and peer review of the work, and through regional review meetings and peer reviewed publication. If you are working on or interested in these areas please visit the website for publications produced to date or contact the EQUINET secretariat.
Most countries in east and southern Africa have rich deposits of a range of mineral reserves that are highly sought after in global trade. Extractive industries (EIs), largely multinationals from all regions of the world, extract these minerals, oil and gas from the earth through mining, dredging and quarrying. Countries in east and southern Africa thus face a challenge to make and implement policy choices that link these natural resources to improved social and economic development, and to ensure that extraction processes do not harm health or environments. EQUINET is working with trade union partners in the Southern Africa Coordination Council (SATUCC), Ex mineworkers in the Southern Africa Miners Association (SAMA) and civil society through Benchmarks SA on health in the mining sector in east and southern African (ESA) countries. EQUINET are holding a regional meeting on February 1 and 2 2020 in Cape Town South before the Alternative Mining Indaba to share health literacy information on mining and health, distribute the health literacy module on mining and health, and share other materials and experiences in EQUINET’s ongoing programmes and advocacy on mining and health in the region. The workshop is aimed at trade union, ex mineworker and civil society health organisers. There are very limited sponsored places and self-sponsored places left so those interested, and those attending the AMI who wish to join the meeting, are asked to apply soonest by email.
Following the call to middle to senior policymakers, academics and civil society members working in areas of trade and / or health from countries in East and Southern Africa to participate in a capacity building and research programme on trade and health, EQUINET will in co-operation with SEATINI and the Centre for Hea;th Policy be running a series of country-level training workshops on trade and health. These workshops will be held between May and June 2005 and will be followed by support to country level teams, to undertake and report on national assessments of trade and health.
Thanks to those who applied- they will now be directly contacted by the convenors to indicate proposed dates of the country meetings.
Leaflet on EQUINET: A Rede Regional para a Equidade em saúde na África oriental e austral (EQUINET) é uma rede de profi ssionais, membros da sociedade civil, formuladores de diretrizes políticos, ofi ciais do estado e outros dentro desta região que se juntaram como catalisadores de equidade, para poder promover e realizar os valores compartilhadas da equidade e justice social na saúde.