PHA-Exchange> [EQ] Advanced Short Course on Health Sector Reform and Financing

Tue Feb 22 09:41:34 PST 2005

Advanced Short Course on Health Sector Reform and Financing

15 - 26 August  2005 at the Royal Tropical Institute in Amsterdam (KIT)

            Website: http://www.kit.nl/development/html/health_sector_reform_and_finan.asp <http://www.kit.nl/development/html/health_sector_reform_and_finan.asp>  

"......Health systems in countries all over the world are facing challenges in order to meet the increasing needs and demands of their citizens. Demographic changes, technological developments, and a more conscious and assertive demand for quality care compete with the requirements for reaching or maintaining universal access and containing costs. 

Sector reforms are being introduced in the institutional organization of health systems - decentralization, involvement of the private sector, redefinition of the core role of Ministries of Health - and in the financing options for health systems - user fees, social insurance and community financing. Resource allocation should follow priorities, scarce human resources should be used more efficiently and essential health services should reach the poor. 

There is a move away from fragmented, donor-driven projects to a more sector-wide approach to health systems development. Recently, global initiatives to combat malaria, tuberculosis and HIV/AIDS have put these diseases high on the policy agenda, and there is now debate about how this disease focus can be combined with strengthening health systems as a whole. 

Poverty reduction has been declared a major concern and the relations between poverty and disease on the one hand and health and economic growth on the other are being emphasized. A strong international appeal has been made to substantially increase inputs for scaling up health programmes and boost health system development. <http://www.kit.nl/development/html/#top> This global context creates considerable challenges for institutional capacities of low resource countries. Ministries of Health have to plan for reaching health targets in the MDGs and Poverty Reduction Strategies. 

All these reforms involve new modalities of planning and implementation, new types of partnerships and co-operation and they may require innovative thinking about mandates and core functions. Key staff in Ministries of Health as well as external development partners need to understand the complexities of all the issues involved, including the institutional, political, financial, managerial, human resource, inter-sectoral and public health dimensions. 

<http://www.kit.nl/development/html/#top> The aim of the short course is to assist participants in understanding the context and scope of the current reforms and financing options going on in the health sector of developing countries.

Programme highlights

*         Introduction to Health Sector Reform and Financing

*         National Health Accounts 

*         Introduction to Development Finance: the Debt Crisis 

*         Heavily Indebted Poor Country Initiative (HIPC) 

*         IMF Poverty Reduction and Growth Facility (PRGF) 

*         Poverty, MDGs and Health 

*         Macroeconomics and Health

*         Priority Setting and Resource Allocation 

*         Cost-Effectiveness Analysis for Priority Setting: WHO CHOICE  

*         Decentralization 

*         From Project to Programme to Sector to Budget Support 

*         Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers 

*         Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Public Expenditure Review

*         Health Financing Options 

*         Expanding Health Care Financing for Low-Income Populations

*         Improving Access to Essential Drugs for the Poor 

*         Planning, Producing and Managing Human Resources for Health

*         Provider Payment Mechanisms <http://www.kit.nl/development/html/#top> 

*         Improving Hospital Management

*         Privatization, Regulation and Contracting 

*         Global Health Initiatives to Impact on Poverty Related Diseases

*         Panel Debate on International Cooperation for Health

Teaching Methods

The approach for most sessions will consist of introductory lectures, exercises, case studies and interactive group discussions building on participants' experiences with the respective topics and issues. A reader will be provided with essential readings that are expected to be read before each class session. 

Accreditation and assessment

This course is accredited by TropEd <http://www.troped.org> , a network of European institutions for higher education in international health, in the context of the Master´s in International Health. TropEd students will take an exam at the end of the course.

Participants / Target groups

Participants of the course will be senior managers who are actively involved in planning, management and evaluation of health sector reforms in developing countries. These senior managers can be either working in Ministries of Health, or they may be staff of embassies, international organizations, or NGOs developing partnerships with Ministries of Health within the scope of health reforms.

Prerequisites 

Participants should have:

*         A postgraduate degree in public health or international health at the diploma or MSc level or an equivalent degree

*         At least 3 years of professional experience, preferably working or going to work at the national level in a developing country on topics mentioned above 

*         English competency (TOEFL paper-based test: 550, computer-based test: 213 or IELTS academic version: 6.0 <http://www.kit.nl/development/html/#top>  )

Application

An application form is attached and may be forwarded electronically to healthtraining at kit.nl <mailto:healthtraining at kit.nl>  or by hard copy to the address below.

Applications for the 2005 course are due no later than June 15, 2005. 

After you apply, we will study your CV. If you are considered eligible for the course, we will send you a conditional admission letter, which you can use to obtain sponsoring for the course, e.g. through the UN, World Bank, EU or bilateral donors. 

Contact Information: 

Course secretariat:         healthtraining at kit.nl <mailto:healthtraining at kit.nl> 

Address:                       Health Training KIT  PO Box 95001, NL 1090 HA Amsterdam

Tel.:                              31-20-568 8237

Maria Paalman,  Senior Health Adviser

Development Policy and Practice, > Royal Tropical Institute (KIT)

PO Box 95001  NL-1090 HA Amsterdam

tel 31-20-568 8659 > fax 31-20-568 8444 > www.kit.nl <http://www.kit.nl/> 

                From: Postema, Jenny [mailto:J.Postema at kit.nl] 

*      *      *     *  

This message from the Pan American Health Organization, PAHO/WHO, is part of an effort to disseminate 
information Related to: Equity; Health inequality; Socioeconomic inequality in health; Socioeconomic 
health differentials; Gender; Violence; Poverty; Health Economics; Health Legislation; Ethnicity; Ethics; 
Information Technology - Virtual libraries; Research & Science issues.  [DD/ IKM Area]  

"Materials provided in this electronic list are provided "as is". Unless expressly stated otherwise, the findings 
and interpretations included in the Materials are those of the authors and not necessarily of The Pan American 
Health Organization PAHO/WHO or its country members". 
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PAHO/WHO Website: http://www.paho.org/ 

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