In 2006-2009, as part of the regional learning network, the Lusaka District Health Management Team (LDHMT) used participatory action research (PAR) to strengthen joint planning and communication, co-operation and trust between communities and health workers. In 2010, building on positive changes found, LDHMT, with TARSC and with Cordaid support, piloted a programme to train health literacy facilitators and hold community health literacy sessions in three areas of Lusaka. The positive feedback from that programme led to dialogue with the Ministry of Health and the proposal for national level implementation of the health literacy programme. This national workshop hosted by Ministry of Health Zambia was thus held with lead stakeholders to review the work done to date and discuss the content, approach and steps towards implementing the programme at national level.
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To promote policies for equity in health HEPS-Uganda, Makerere University Institute of Public Health with EQUINET organised a National Meeting on equity in health in Uganda in March 2008. The meeting reviewed the body of work taking place in Uganda within government, academic and civil society institutions to explore, understand and propose options for reducing inequalities in health in Uganda. The meeting provided an opportunity to exchange evidence, strengthen networking in Uganda, and feed experience into regional networking. The report outlines the papers nd the deliberations. The meeting set up a task force that would take the work forward within key areas of focus, including fair financing; trade and health; health rights and governance and protection of vulnerable groups. HEPS and Makarere University Institute of Public Health are co-ordinating the task force. It was proposed that a follow up national meeting be held in a year to review issues and work.
The meeting was held to discuss issues relating to the effective management of the mobility of health care workers and to shift the agenda from awareness to action. Preliminary findings from three national studies focusing on migration trends of health professionals were presented, providing an evidence base for discussion and a direction for further recommendations. As the realities of migration trends amongst skilled health professionals continue to impact the standards and accessibility of health services on the continent, Kenya has taken a lead in studying these developments at a national and regional level. It was strongly recommended that the National Steering Committee take up immediate action on: briefing of all stakeholders on progress made in implementation of the programme as to encourage wider government ownership; broaden the NSC membership to include key government agencies not presently included, mainly the Ministry of Planning and Ministry of Finance; take immediate steps for establishment of an integrated data management system for managing human resources for health, including a minimum data set on health worker mobility; take immediate steps to active implementation of existing policies and laws relevant to managing internal and external migration of human resources for health; and review and strengthen policies and incentives for recruitment and retention of health workers.
In November 2010, the first Global Symposium on Health Systems Research (HSR) on ‘Science to Accelerate Universal Health Coverage’ shared evidence and identified priorities for strengthening HSR to achieve universal health coverage (UHC). The focus and alliance that emerged from the conference and the high-level support from many global and national agencies suggest the potential for greater visibility and inclusion of evidence on health systems in future global health policy debates. While the many global forums advocating UHC indicate that there is a consistent focus on policy on universality, different perspectives on UHC indicate that the term ‘universal’ cannot simply be assumed to include the same interests, meanings, and values for all who use it. The author argues that UHC as a goal – and the health systems strengthening it – should inform policy dialogue on specific global agendas, and that stakeholders should make clear and discuss their different positions on UHC, their policy options and consequences, and the political views and values that lie behind them. (EQUINET through TARSC and SEATINI regularly contributes to the Global Health Monitor.)
Malawi, like many southern African countries, is facing a critical human resources for health (HRH) crisis, preventing it from delivering acceptable quality health care services to its population. The reasons underlying the shortage of health professionals are multiple and include limited output from training institutions, high attrition rates resulting from migration and disease, and increased workloads because of HIV and AIDS. Despite the increasing levels of migration of health professionals from Malawi which have caught international attention, many continue to serve their country. The challenges encountered by these health workers (which may eventually become push factors), and the coping or survival strategies that they utilise deserve attention if any meaningful solutions to retain health professionals in Malawi are to be developed.
The study was part of a cluster of countries studies on distribution and retention of human resources for health in the EQUINET/ Health Systemns Trust theme work on Human Resourdces for Health. The paper explored factors in the retention of pharmacists in South Africa. The key findings are:
• Most pharmacists trained at the University of the North are within South Africa.
• Of 121 respondents, 46% work in rural areas, and 63% in the public sector. Pharmacists of rural origin are more likely to work in rural areas and in the public sector than their counterparts coming from urban areas.
• In the reasons given for choosing the current job, opportunities for further professional development and the desire to serve the community were more commonly cited factors than pay. However, many said they would change jobs for better pay.
• Respondents perceived that the profession was not adequately recognised or valued within the health sector nor by clients.
These and other study findings reported suggest that a mix of financial and non-financial incentives are needed to address the scarcity of pharmacists in the public sector and in rural areas.
This workshop will take place after the EQUINET Regional Conferebce September 23-25 2009. It will draw on the experiences of the African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC) to strengthen skills in effective and innovative strategies of communicating health research evidence to effect policy change. It will be an interactive workshop, and will address some major challenges in communicating health research in an accessible and compelling manner. The workshop will use evidence from APHRC's research in the area of sexual and reproductive health in the sub-Saharan Africa region. The workshop will be useful to people charged with communicating research in their organizations, researchers, advocates/activists, and anyone else who finds the issues above interesting. Visit the conference website to register for the workshop and for the conference.
New resources have been added to the Participatory Action Research Portal. The portal has resources on Participatory Action Research (PAR) with a growing number of resources on PAR related to training courses, training guides and reports of training activities; methods, tools and ethics; PAR work and journal publications on PAR. The portal is a resource for all those working with PAR and includes resources in any language. There is a form for people to send videos, photojournalism, organisations, journal papers, training guides and other resources for the portal. The url link shown here is in English but there is also a Spanish version at http://www.equinetafrica.org/content/portal-de-recursos-para-la-investigaci%C3%B3n-acci%C3%B3n-participativa-iap
Facing multiple global crises, governments and corporations are arguing that new technologies are the solution to fixing everything from climate chaos to hunger and health problems. What do these new technologies mean for African countries? In which contexts are they being developed? Who controls and who will benefit from them? Are they bringing new impacts to our health, environment and economies? The workshop will feature presentations from ETC group, an international civil society organization based in Canada, and African partners which will explain and introduce the issues, followed by questions and discussions with participants.
Visit the conference website for more details and to register
New information can be found at the website for the EQUINET Conference September 2009 on pre and post conference workshops. Regional workshops will be held on issues covering health literacy, policy analysis, participatory methods, writing skillsand health financing. Visit the website at ww.equinetafrica.org/conference2009/index.php for further information. Places are limited so we urge youto register early.