Capacity Building For Health Sector Reform

South Asia is a region of contrasts, with impressive technological achievements but also more than 40 percent of the world's poor. These contrasts are evident in the health sector, which demonstrates large variations in health, nutrition, and fertility outcomes.'Health Policy Research in South Asia' showcases some of the innovative qualitative and quantitative research methodologies being used in South Asia to provide empirical guidance for health sector reform and policy development. The four research areas presented are analysis of inequality, expenditure analysis, private sector analysis, and consumer and provider perspectives.Salient themes emerge from the 12 health policy research activities reviewed and emphasize the importance of strengthening local capacity and building ownership: • Governments can and should distribute subsidies in the health sector more efficiently and effectively. • The private sector, which dominates service delivery in most of South Asia, requires a different set of public sector policy instruments. • Informed consumers/citizens can and should play an important role in influencing health service delivery. • Empirical research can and should provide policymakers with some of the tools needed to improve and monitor the performance of the sector. This book will be of interest to health sector policymakers and analysts, to academics and students in public health and health economics, and to anyone with an interest in the impact ofhealth policy on development.

New thinking about the management of public health services has stimulated a widespread movement for health sector reform across the world. This book examines the feasibility and desirability of common reforms in low income countries, based on in-depth case studies in Ghana, Zimbabwe, Sri Lanka, India and Thailand, and asks whether governments possess or can develop the capacities needed for these new and often complex roles. The book challenges conventional reform wisdom, and argues that reform approaches are needed that are more sensitive to the institutional characteristics of individual countries.

Problems facing Tonga's health care system intensified in the 1990s leading eventually to a decision by the government to address the "core problem", the Ministry of Health's planning, management, and coordination capacity. This case explores how attempts to enhance Ministry's organizational capacity, and improve its organizational culture, were aided by: consistent and strategic leadership and political support, participatory approaches, a clear sense of the capacity challenges, and the facilitative role played by the Australian Agency for International Development (AusAID). The paper describes it as a process of "developing Tongan solutions to Tongan problems".

In Mexico City or Nairobi or Manila, a young girl in one part of the city is near death with measles, while, not far away, an elderly man awaits transplantation of a new kidney. How is one denied a cheap, simple, and effective remedy while another can command the most advanced technology medicine can offer? Can countries like Mexico, Kenya, or the Philippines, with limited funds and medical resources, find an affordable, effective, and fair way to balance competing health needs and demands? Such dilemmas are the focus of this insightful book in which leading international researchers bring together the latest thinking on how developing countries can reform health care. The choices these poorer countries make today will determine the pace of health improvement for vast numbers of people now and in the future. Exploring new ideas and concepts, as well as the practical experiences of nations in all parts of the world, this volume provides valuable insights and information to both generalists and specialists interested in how health care will look in the world of the twenty-first century.

This book provides a multi-disciplinary framework for developing and analyzing health sector reforms, based on the authors' extensive international experience. It offers practical guidance - useful to policymakers, consultants, academics, and students alike - and stresses the need to take account of each country's economic, administrative, and political circumstances. The authors explain how to design effective government interventions in five areas - financing, payment, organization, regulation, and behavior - to improve the performance and equity of health systems around the world.

Capacity building - which focuses on understanding the obstacles that prevent organisations from realising their goals, while promoting those features that help them to achieve measurable and sustainable results - is vital to improve the delivery of health care in both developed and developing countries. Organisations are important structural building blocks of health systems because they provide platforms for delivery of curative and preventive health services, and facilitate health workforce financing and functions. Organisational capacity building involves more than training and equipment and this book discusses management capacity to restructure systems, structures and roles strategically to optimise organisational performance in healthcare. Examining the topic in a practical and comprehensive way, Organisational Capacity Building in Health Systems is divided into five parts, looking at: What health organisations are and do Management and leadership in health organisations How to build capacity in health systems Building capacity in a range of health system contexts Dealing with challenges in building capacity and evaluating work Looking at how to effectively design, implement and evaluate organisational capacity building initiatives, this book is ideal for public health, health promotion and health management researchers, students and practitioners.