Partnerships

This presentation was part of the ECSA Workforce Observatory Meeting in Arusha. It describes the Africa Health Workforce Observatory as a cooperative initiative and partnership (public sector, NGO/ CSOs, academy, professional associations, international & subregional organizations, development partners) to improve human resources development through promoting and facilitating evidence-based policy-making. The presentation details the benefits and some of the functions of the Observatory such as: country monitoring and information; research and analysis; sharing and dissemination; promoting national and intercountry networking; and capacity building for HRH. [author’s description]

This report describes highlights from the Doctors We Trust Project in St. Petersburg and the Together We Are Stronger Project in Kaliningrad. Both projects focused onthe limitations of health care for vulnerable groups in St. Petersburg and Kaliningrad. The key strategy was to build cooperative links between government agencies and NGOs, uniting those who control public medical facilities and those who work most closely with vulnerable populations. The goal was to strengthen the NGOs’ capacity to provide care, while helping the governmental sector and medical personnel better understand and respond to the needs of people living with HIV and AIDS (PLHA) and other vulnerable groups.

The first meeting ever held in Africa on the crisis facing the health workforce in which a large number of stakeholders met face-to-face to exchange views and initiate processes that could lead to development of solutions. The meeting endorsed the relevance of education and training of health professionals to the health needs of the population served, the importance of forging new partnerships between the health and education sectors, the urgency of facilitating retention and optimal utilization of the health workforce in the African work environment, recognition of the impact of the HIV/AIDS pandemic on the health workforce, and the impact of globalization.

This issue of Health Action looks at a few of the many [health] challenges, their likely impact on health workers and how they might be met. What may surprise some readers is that many challenges do not involve medical advances. Rather, they are concerned with adapting health systems to cope with new developments (for example, demographic changes, non-communicable diseases) and finding new ways of working effectively. [author’s description]

The issue contains articles on: supporting staff strengths; building better partnerships; and partners in planning.

Most South Asian governments have concentrated on emulating a Western style of healthcare service, with the result that an elite few are overmedicalised whereas the majority are neglected. However, community participation in the development of local health services could provide a solution. [abstract]

This issue of the HST Update covers topics such as: care from within the community; the Khayelihle example; and the role of organizations outside the government in community-based care.

In 1996 an act of Parliament created the Ghana Health Service (GHS) as an extra-ministerial agency that is outside the civil service, freeing the health sector to change, innovate, and reform health care operations in Ghana. This flexibility enables the GHS to utilize research for guiding innovation with research activities. The GHS has adopted a model for community-based service delivery known as the Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) Initiative. CHPS is an integral part of the current Ghana Health Service Five Year Programme of Work and represents the health sector component of the national poverty alleviation programme.

Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) initiative as a strategy to deliver community level service is a key health system reform for the Health Sector in general and the Ghana Health Service in particular. If the health sector is to achieve the Health Millennium Development Goals’ in Ghana, then there is the need for a drastic shift in the paradigm of service provision. CHPS provides us with a vehicle for making this paradigm shift so as to deliver community level service by engaging communities in taking decisions concerning their own health and recognizing that the primary producers of health are the individuals within households – especially mothers.

Outline of the community-based health planning and services (CHPS) initiative developed by the Ghana Health Services, as an enhanced Close to Client (CTC) System. CHPS aims to provide accessible primary health care to all communities of Ghana, by enabling District Health Management Teams throughout Ghana to develop approaches to community health care that are consistent with local traditions, sustainable with available resources, and compatible with prevailing needs. This article discusses, step by step, the processes involved in managing, planning, coordinating, and monitoring the CHPS initiative.

This publication is an effort to respond to the different needs for capacity building in management and implementation of health programmes and delivery of essential services. It reflects the thinking acquired from experience working with health sector reforms being implemented in the African Region. The District Health Management Training modules cover the principles that are applicable across the Region and are meant to guide and strengthen the management capacity of district health management teams. [author’s description]


Module 1: Health Sector Reform and District Health Systems; Module 2: Management, Leadership and Partnership for District Health; Module 3: Management of Health Resources; Module 4: Planning and Implementation of District Health Services.

NGOs that provide basic health care to the poor must become less dependent on donor support by diversifying their funding. The NGO Service Delivery Program (NSDP), a USAID-funded health care program in Bangladesh, is working with NGOs to find corporate sponsorship. [publisher’s description]

This issue defines public-private partnerships, lists potential partners at different administrative levels, reviews the factors behind the growth in partnerships, looks at some of the benefits and challenges of partnerships, and offers thoughts on preparing for and implementing them. It also describes the steps involved in developing a contractual relationship and provides examples of several successful partnerships. [editors’ description]

Health care labor is central to managing and delivering health services. Because recruitment and retention policies are key issues for purchasers, gaining insights into labor-purchasing mechanisms may permit them to be addressed more effectively. This paper is intended to provide a brief introduction to health care labor purchasing and the mechanisms through which it can have an impact on the delivery of health services and on health system performance. A framework is developed to foster understanding of health labor purchasing mechanisms. [abstract]

Research projects demonstrating ways to improve health services often fail to have an impact on what national health programmes actually do. An approach to evidence-based policy development has been launched in Ghana which bridges the gap between research and programme implementation. The Community-based Health Planning and Services (CHPS) Initiative has employed strategies tested in the successful Navrongo experiment to guide national health reforms that mobilize volunteerism, resources, and cultural institutions for supporting community-based primary health care. Over a two-year period, 87 out of the 110 districts in Ghana started CHPS.

Birth spacing — the practice of timing the interval between births — is recognized as a significant health-improving and life-saving measure for mothers and children. This brief discusses PSI’s programs to promote birth spacing including managing franchised networks of doctors and clinics

This report sets out many stories of individual and National Health Service partnerships working to improve health and share learning. Already the UK has an impressive record and reputation on international development, in health and in other areas. But to get the best out of all the enthusiasm and the work that is being done, the report identifies a need for better coordination and more strategic partnerships, and makes recommendations for improvement. [from foreword]

This presentation was part of the ECSA Workforce Observatory Meeting in Arusha. It describes the Health Workforce Observatory’s purpose to “bring together stakeholders involved in HR for Health at country level to collect, collate, process, analyze and disseminate evidence based HR information for HR development and networking at country and sub regional levels for health improvement.” It outlines the strategies from a country level and international level including stakeholders and support.


To view this presentation, you must have either Microsoft PowerPoint or download the free PowerPoint Viewer.

Some 60 participants from ministries of health, multilateral and bilateral international agencies, foundations, nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) and professional organizations discussed and debated a range of issues in order to contribute to the objectives of this workshop, which were to: further the development of an HRH framework for policies; identify policy questions and agree upon an agenda for development of policy options; identify gaps in evidence and priorities for obtaining evidence on which to base policy; build capacity and partnership for action at country level. [author’s des

This paper describes three examples of human resource development in community-driven HIV/AIDS programmes. The basic proposition is that acknowledgement, inclusion of and support for community based health initiatives is necessary to understand fully where health action is occurring and where potential for expansion lies. The paper calls for an expanded definition of health systems encompassing work being carried out by communities who are at the frontline in responding to the HIV/AIDS epidemic. Health care workers live in communities, and communities are providing health care. HIV care, including ARV treatment, needs to exist both in communities and for health care workers.

This report documents the efforts of the Institute for Reproductive Health (IRH) to integrate natural family planning methods into the health delivery system in the Phillipines. It discusses the venues used for implementation such as government and NGO partnerships as well as IRH’s training resources and activities for nurses and midwives on family planning. Finally, the report details best practices and lessons learned from the multi-year project.

This is a summary report from the Africa Health Workforce Observatory meeting held September 26-29, 2006, at the ECSA headquarters in Arusha, Tanzania. The meeting focused on developing mechanisms to create up-to-date and reliable information that enables evidence-based decision making for HRH. [adapted from author’s description]

This issue of The Manager discusses the role of local resources in strengthening health services. It will help health managers at the local level to identify types of local resources that may be available to them, decide on strategies for mobilizing these resources, and assess the value of such resources to their organization or program. [author’s description]

This is a report on the proceedings of the 2003 National Health Forum on Community Partnerships for Health Development, which was held at Novotel, Accra from 26-28 February. One hundred and fifty delegates, representing GHS staff, MOH staff, the donor community, and international and local NGOs, assembled for the Opening Ceremony. The three-day event was organized under a theme for each day. Measuring Progress was the theme for the first day; Innovations and Lessons Learnt was the theme for day two, whilst Rolling Out CHPS was the theme for the final day. [From executive summary]

This presentation was part of the ECSA Workforce Observatory Meeting in Arusha. It outlines the role of national observatories “to convene and mobilize the relevant stakeholders, to identify sources of information and ensure further analysis, research, to prioritize the main issues, and to build consensus over policy interventions.” The author also discusses some possible functions of the obervatories, critical success factors, key activities, and lessons learned.

To view this presentation, you must have either Microsoft PowerPoint or download the free PowerPoint Viewer.

This case study looks at the contribution of the Observatório and its members to the development of the public health sector in Brazil. [from introduction]

The New Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) is a pledge by African leaders, based on a common vision and a firm and shared conviction, that they have a pressing duty to eradicate poverty and to place their countries, both individually and collectively, on a path of sustainable growth and development. The Strategy recognises the centrality of health to development, seeking to deepen ownership and responsibility by Africa for the measures required to enhance health and the commitment to these by development partners. Poverty cannot be eradicated, or indeed even substantially alleviated, as long as the high burden of disease, disability and death continues to plague the continent.

There is currently much debate about the role Global Health Initiatives (GHI) should play in strengthening health systems. There is increasing realization that without more support to help countries build health system capacity, the resources mobilized by GHIs are unlikely to reach their full potential. This paper argues that health-system strengthening requires improving capacity in critical components of health systems in order to get more equitable and sustained improvement across health services and outcomes. This paper discusses these critical components, including human resource development within the broader context of health system strengthening. [adapted from author]

The complex and wide ranging challenges related to human resources for health in developing countries necessitate that stakeholders work together through inclusive alliances and networks. This kit aims to offer those wanting to create a partnership, as well as those already working in one, some easily accessible tools to support that process. [from introduction]

This report identifies innovative approaches countries are using to address the shortages of health care workers and describes efforts to achieve long-term sustainability. [author’s description]

This is an overview of the Asian Action Learning Network on Human Resources for Health. Its objectives were: to share and discuss country problems, experiences, and priority actions required on human resource for health, to build up commitment on the establishment of the Asian Action Learning Network on HRH as a probable regional hub of the Global HRH platform, to develop the shared vision on the common goal of the Asian Action Learning Network on HRH, and to o develop a work plan for the Asian Action Learning Network on HRH, which covers the areas of information, research, capacity building and networking.