Profiles
14 Oct 2010Africa needs a new generation of scientists
We talk with one of Africa’s most highly regarded epidemiologists, Fred Binka, Dean of the University of Ghana’s School of Public Health.
Read Profile...Daily Reports
19 Nov 2010Srinath Reddy of the Public Health Foundation of India, who proved to be an excellent moderator, said the Symposium had already discussed, dissected and defined the problems facing health systems research (HSR). Now it was time for the meeting to come to the issues of stewardship, financing and capacity, and to consider the opportunities and […]
Read Report...Interviews
10 Oct 2010Boosting health systems research: a TropIKA.net Q&A with Javier Guzman
Dr Javier Guzman is Director of Research, Policy Cures and is based in the organization’s UK office at the London International Development Centre.
Q. Who are the important players in boosting health systems research?
A. There needs to be support from national governments to fund this type of work. It is important that international donors see that […]
Background reading
18 Nov 2010A framework for defining research
Patrick Adams writes…
Operational research, implementation research, and health systems research: the terms are used interchangeably and inconsistently throughout the peer-reviewed literature. Their increasingly frequent occurrence reflects a growing recognition of the role of research in improving health systems and health care delivery. But the semantic confusion may have consequences for the funding of research efforts […]
Read... 15 Nov 2010Analysing health systems to make them stronger
The authors of a new book [1] say they aim to provide a framework that can be used by anyone wishing to analyse and strengthen health systems.
The 102-page document, is part of the series Studies in Health Services Organisation & Policy, published by the Institute of Tropical Medicine, Antwerp, Belgium. Based on a lengthy consultative […]
Opinions
Paul Chinnock gives his personal views on proceedings at the First Global Symposium on Health Systems Research held 16-19 November 2010, Montreux, Switzerland, which he attended “virtually” following the debate via the webcam in the main conference hall.
When I told people I was taking part in a conference on health systems research (HSR), no one […]
Features
Patrick Adams writes…
Despite an extensive public health system, health care in India is provided primarily through the private sector. Public facilities are run-down or inaccessible, and households often incur high out-of-pocket expenses when forced to pay for private care. In fact, household consumer expenditure surveys indicate that many Indian households fall into the vicious cycle […]