Which GDC-supported health programmes should we document and publish first?
by Anna von Roenne, 13 April 2010
The recently established BMZ Thematic Team Health decided that, in 2010, the German HIV Practice Collection should be extended and become a German Health Practice Collection. This raises the question: Which of the many GDC-supported approaches in the broad field of health should we document and publish first?
So far, two approaches have been suggested:
1. Systemic Quality Improvement (SQI): there are various voices that suggest that GDC's approaches to improving the quality of health service delivery should be documented and published this year.
2. Centre of Health Insurance Competence (CHIC): CHIC is an enterprising approach to the promotion of health insurance schemes in developing countries. The aim of setting up the competence centres is to strengthen health insurance schemes economically, as a means of ensuring their sustainability. There are various country examples of successfully implementing the CHIC approach. It is a comparative advantage of GDC in health.
Joachim Schmitt of BMZ just suggested a third topic for a GHPC publication: How GDC contributes to partner countries' attaining MDG 4 and 5.
What is your view? Do you support any of these suggestions or would you suggest yet another topic? Share your view in this blog.
Firstly, there is strong evidence that the health impacts from other sectors are much stronger than the ones from the health sector itself. If health policy considerations can be mainstreamed into other sectors, the health benefits will be significant. Secondly, intersectoral approaches tackle some of the most difficult and important issues of governance. Successful capacity development and intersectoral collaboration do not only strengthen the health sector, but also contribute to improved governance in terms of transparency, accountability, and effectiveness. Lastly, intersectoral approaches gain increasingly interest and support both from international actors in the area of development cooperation and from BMZ. Strengthening capacities for intersectoral collaboration – both internally and externally – will further improve the standing and position of German Development Cooperation as a leader in program design and implementation.
Of course, this opinion is rooted in my experience with the Fit for School approach in the Philippines, where the education and health sector collaborate in implementing a school health program. By bringing health interventions into a public space, i.e., elementary schools, the synergies between the health and education sector have become very clear to stakeholders on all levels – be it high-ranking officials in the Department of Education, regional Public Health Officers or parents. Healthier children attain better educational results, better educated children who practice hygiene habits will have a healthier life. This recognition has guaranteed sustainable funding from the participating provinces themselves. Capacity development at the regional and local level has increased accountability by making the distribution and use of program materials more transparent. And lastly, the program has received much attention and support – from GDC, the international community, and neighboring countries. Just last year, the program was awarded as the most innovative health solution at the Global South-South Development Exposition, sponsored by World Bank, UNDP, and WHO.