EQUINET is governed by a steering committee involving academic, government, civil society, trade union and parliamentary institutions from East and Southern Africa. EQUINET programmes involve institutions from 16 countries in East and Southern Africa and partner with other countries internationally.
EQUINET activities are co-ordinated and managed through Training and Research Support Centre, a non profit institution headquartered in Zimbabwe that carries out health and social policy work at national, regional and international level.
The SADC Health Sector formally recognised EQUINET in 1999 and at its Health Ministers' meeting in April 2002 recommended collaboration with EQUINET. Health Sector Officials were encouraged to work with EQUINET and to use its resources EQUINET has co-operated with in its activities with the SADC Health Sector, the SADC Directorate of Social Development and Special Programmes, the SADC HIV/AIDS Programme and the SADC Parliamentary Forum, as well as with a number of southern African regional organisations. EQUINET has a formal Memorandum governing co-operation with the East, Central and Southern African Health Community and has made input to and co-produced with the ECSA HC on a variety of areas relevant to health equity.
Specific areas of EQUINET work are co-ordinated by institutional members:
- Training and Research SupportCentre (TARSC), Zimbabwe co-ordinates the work on Equity analysis, the Equity Watch and crosscutting work
- The Health Economics Department, University of Zambia co-ordinates work on Fair financing
- Community Working Group on Health, Zimbabwe co-ordinate work on social empowerment in primary health care
- SEATINI, Southern Africa co-ordinates the work on Trade and health and engagement in global policies
- The Centre for Health, Human Rights and Development (CEHURD) Uganda co-ordinates work on health rights and law
- The University of Cape Town School of Family and Public Health co-ordinates the the regionallearning network on Health Rights and links EQUINET to PHM
- The Ifakara Health Institute, Tanzania, co-ordinates work on district health systems
- The Southern African Trade Union Co-ordinating Council (SATUCC) links EQUINET work with trade unions
- The African Network of Parliamentary Committees on Health links EQUINET work with parliamentarians
- The Lusaka District Health Office, Zambia and TARSC co-ordinate the pra4equity network on participatory action research
- The Malawi Health Equity Network co-ordinates the work in Malawi
- TARSC, manages the EQUINET website and newsletter
- The University of Cape Town Centre co-ordinates work on Policy analysis
- REACH Trust Malawi co-ordinates work on equity in HIV and AIDS
The different EQUINET programmes collectively network institutions across 16 East and Southern African countries
EQUINET co-operates with Peoples Health Movement in its work on civil society and health, and with a range of regional and international partners on specific work programmes.