Over the last two decades there has been growing interest in the potential of social health insurance (SHI) as a health financing mechanism in low and middle-income countries. However, few countries in Africa have implemented SHI. Uganda is currently designing its own SHI scheme, in preparation for its imminent implementation. It is hoped that SHI will bring additional resources for the Ugandan health sector and that its introduction will improve equity in access. Very little was known about the Insurance market in Uganda before this study was undertaken, so one of our main objectives was to provide quantitative and qualitative data that could be used by the Ugandan Ministry of Health as a basis for designing this scheme and for future SHI policy-making.
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Drawing on the analytic framework of the regional analysis, an analysis of equity in health at district level was implemented in Tanzania, through secondary review and field work. We found a clear policy commitment to equity, the administrative means to implement it and a political stability that enables this. A number of features of Tanzania’s context and health system make reducing differentials in health and access to health care possible, including the investment of debt relief resources in health and education, increased public spending in health, methods for managing external funds that pool resources for wider reallocation to areas of need and a resource allocation formula that considers access, poverty and disease burden in the allocation of resources and provides guidelines for spending to protect areas of equity oriented spending.
The growth of international trade has significant consequences for public health. The relationship between trade and health is not simple, nor is it unidirectional. In this brief we raise why trade issues need to be understood and managed to promote health and we highlight the main concerns arising from free trade agreements for public health. We draw attention to measures that governments and civil society in the region can take to achieve greater coherence between trade and health policies, so that international trade and trade rules maximize health benefits and minimize health risks, especially for poor and vulnerable populations.
Call for registration for and abstracts of research and practice by January 29 2008.
The first National meeting on Equity in Health in Uganda will be hosted by the HEPS Uganda – Coalition for Health Promotion and Social Development and Makerere University in co-operation with Regional Network on Equity in Health in East and Southern Africa (EQUINET). The meeting will bring together researchers, policy-makers, practitioners and others concerned with equity in health to exchange information and develop an agenda of follow up work to support health equity in Uganda. People interested in attending the Conference are invited to notify the organizing Committee and submit an abstract by January 29th preferably by email to heps@utlonline.co.ug and copy to admin@equinetafrica.org or to HEPS-Uganda P.o Box 2426, Kampala.
This study reviews the Zambian deprivation-based health resource allocation formula and assesses how such a formula has been implemented in terms of achieving the initial desired goals of resource – re-distribution. It further considers the extent of converge or divergence in the equity goals relating to resource re-distribution through the allocation of funding to the districts.
There are large disparities in the health care resources available to different districts, regions and provinces within individual countries. Using a resource allocation formula, that is based on indicators of the relative need for health care within each geographic area, has been found to be helpful in overcoming historical allocation patterns. This report, implemented under the fair financing theme in the Regional network for equity in health in east and southern Africa (EQUINET) assesses whether there has been progress towards equitable resource allocation in four Southern African countries which have adopted such formulae (Namibia, South Africa, Zamibia and Zimbabwe). Researchers in Namibia, South Africa, Zambia and Zimbabwe provided information on implementation progress in their countries.
The Law of Faculty, Makerere University in EQUINET and are carrying out a commissioned review of the Public Health Laws in Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania in relation to policy areas relevant to equity in health. This study will outline for the three countries coverage and gaps to be addressed in law and where relevant, in the enforcement mechanisms; and identify areas for follow up stakeholder consultation and research. The researchers are requesting for published or grey literature on this area of focus. Please contact the principal researcher Mulumba Moses, mulumba_moses@yahoo.com
Call Closes On December 7, 2007!
This call invites applicants to participate and share experiences in a Regional Training Workshop for east and southern African countries on Participatory Methods for research and training for a people centred health system being held on February 27 to March 1st 2008.
The training aims to support work at national, district and local level with health systems and communities in health, with a major focus on the interactions at primary health care level. The 2008 training will focus on overcoming community and health systems barriers in accessing comprehensive prevention and treatment for HIV and AIDS and strengthening equitable primary health care responses to HIV and AIDS.
This study reviews the Zambian deprivation-based health resource allocation formula and assesses how the deprivation-based resource allocation formula has been implemented in terms of achieving the initial desired goals of resource – re-distribution. It further considers the extent of converge or divergence in the equity goals relating to resource re-distribution through the allocation of funding to the districts.
The workshop took participants through the writing process from developing a key message, planning the structure of writing, to writing the specific sections of scientific papers such as the title, abstract, keywords, executive summary, introduction, methodology, results and discussion, conclusions and references; on various aspects of peer-reviewed publishing and on issues of authorship, copyright and plagiarism.