Regional Network for Equity in Health in East and Southern Africa (EQUINET) and People's Health Movement (PHM)
East and Southern Africa Regional Peoples Health University
Theme: Past, present and future struggles for Health equity
29 July to 12 November 2021
2021 ESA RPHU PROGRAMME
Session titles, dates and leads/ convenors are shown below. Each weekly session will be held in one or two sessions of 1-2 hours each during the week at times to be notified to participants. The post course follow up will be discussed in week 10.
The outline below provides the dates, times (Southern Africa time = SAT and East African time is one hour later than SAT) and convenors of the sessions in the 10 weeks. You can download the more detailed full programme here
29 July 1300-1515 SAT
Week 1 Introduction and overview
Convenors - R Loewenson, B Kaim (EQUINET), M Alperstein, P Khisa (PHM)
Introduction to PHM, EQUINET and their goals, organisation and work; Participant introductions, experiences on health equity, and expectations; Introduction to the course programme and process
3 August 1400-1545 SAT and 5 August 1400-1550 SAT
Week 2: Political economy and reclaiming resources for health
Convenor - R Loewenson (EQUINET)
With Firoze Manji Daraja Press and Patrick Bond Professor, University of the Western Cape School of Government we will discuss a political-economic analysis of health and wellbeing in the region, what it implies for divergent framings of health and wellbeing, and sites of struggle against neoliberal globalisation both regarding resources available for health as well as the impact of COVID.
With Mariam Mayet African Centre for Biodiversity (ACBio) on biodiversity and ecological resources for health, political economy of malaria and transnationals in industrial agriculture, gene technologies and key struggles locally to globally on them; and David van Wyk Benchmarks Foundation on transnational extractives, particularly in mining, and the struggles in the region around health and wellbeing in the extractive sector.
17 August 1500-1630 SAT and 19 August 1500-1630 SAT
Week 3: Ideas of health and wellbeing, SDH and reclaiming comprehensive public health
Convenors – M Mamdani,P Binyaruka (EQUINET)
With Shakira Choonara and Sue Godt, we will introduce the social determinants of health and equity - the idea, the framing of, and inter-sectoral approach to addressing health inequities, ideas of commercial determinants and the reality in the region, and of inter-sectoral co-financing of structural interventions. It will encourage participants to explore and share experiences based on their context, current challenges in global health (structural determinants) and to identify and advance advocacy
31 August 1300-1500 SAT and 2 September 1300-1500 SAT
Week 4: Health systems and Comprehensive primary health care (PHC)
Convenors – M Alperstein, L Reynolds (PHMSA)
With Vera Scott, UWC/PHMSA and Denis Bukenya PHMUganda/ CEHURD, we aim for participants to gain a critical understanding of the issues in strengthening universal equitable health systems underpinned by a Comprehensive Primary Health Care approach, and its related philosophy for equity and social solidarity and justice. Emphasis is placed on the principles of social participation and Intersectoral Action in Health (IAH) and Health in All Policies (HiAP). We will explore the debates regarding UHC, its goals, status and health equity issues within the relevant SDGs and share experiences of comprehensive PHC responses to COVID-19 and the related challenges.
15 September 1000-1200 SAT
Week 5a: Power, values, rights, law and reclaiming collective agency
Convenor- P Khisa (PHM)
With Eunice Awino Centre for Women Empowerment in Technology (CWE-TECH) /PHM, Ravi Ram, PHM we will discuss the role of power, values, norms and rights in health equity, and build a common understanding of some of the key concepts necessary to develop a gendered perspective
16 September 1400-1600 SAT
Week 5b: Power, values, rights, law and reclaiming collective agency
Convenor- M Mulumba (EQUINET)
With Grace Kenganzi and Nakyeyune Joselyn CEHURD, we will outline how constitutional framings and laws provide for health as rights and equity issues; show how such legal provisions enable equity, and the challenges to their implementation in the ESA countries; and discuss the learning from COVID-19 on the options for and challenges in implementing rights in ‘emergencies’ and in using rights to claim collective agency and solidarity.
30 September 1300-1500 SAT
Week 6: Commodification, privatization in health and reclaiming the state
Convenor- D Bukenya (PHM)
With Labila Sumaya Musoke, institution, Institute for Social and Economic Rights in Uganda (ISER) /PHM UGA, Lucy Gilson UCT, PHM/ EQUINET, George Jobe, MHEN/ EQUINET and Africa Kiiza SEATINI PHMUGA, we aim to explore and understand the meaning, drivers, modalities and effects of privatisation in health and health systems and the national, regional and global forces that sustain it. We will explore existing actions and processes for social transformation that may reverse this trend and state policies on privatization of healthcare systems.
5 October 1300-1500 SAT and 6 October 1300-1500 SAT
Week 7: Equity in health technology
Convenor- Ranga Machemedze (EQUINET)
With Afrika Kiiza, SEATINI Uganda, this session aims to provide participants with advocacy skills acquired from an in depth knowledge and understanding on the WTO and the TRIPs agreement, how intellectual property rights affect the production, availability and affordability of health technologies, medicines and vaccines. It will explore the political economy of local production in the ESA region, the role of south-south and south north cooperation in this and key local, regional and global debates and engagement in health technologies, including in engaging on COVID-19 vaccines
12 October 1300-1500 SAT and 14 October 1300-1500 SAT
Week 8: Social participation and organising activism for health
Convenors – T Njanji, M Alperstein (PHM)
With Damaris Kiewiets UWC, Pelagia Nziramwoyo, CFYDDI Uganda/ EQUINET this session aims to on build on previous weeks understanding on social participation in health in different sectors and constitutions and how this is relevant to health equity in the region and to explore how emergencies enable / disable social organisation, participation and activism.
26 October 1000-1200 SAT and 28 October 1000-1200 SAT
Week 9: Building a movement for health equity
Convenors – L Shuro (PHM SA), N Banda, M Koogotsitse (EQUINET) R Ram (PHM)
With Kitso Phiri Botswana Mine Workers Union and Anneleen De Keukelaere, PHMSA this session aims to discuss and exchange experiences on advocacy work in consortium building, to appreciate and learn from best practices in the region on movement building and develop strategies in countries, regionally and in engaging globally that promote health equity.
8-12 November
Week 10: Recap, evaluation and future steps
Convenors – R. Loewenson, B Kaim (EQUINET), M Alperstein, D Bukenya (PHM)
With participants and PHM and EQUINET colleagues in this week we recap what we have covered in the course, and discuss and present what we see as key areas of follow up work (drawing on issues and discussions from the prior weeks) both for how participants will use the course in their own work and organisations work and regionally with EQUINET, PHM and others. We will also evaluate the course.