Technology for Health Systems Strengthening (THeSyS)

Technology for Health Systems Strengthening (THeSyS)

Linking Health Systems and Health Innovation

The Open University, through the ESRC Innogen Centre and the Development Policy and Practice Group in the Department of Design, Development, Environment and Materials are co-organising the above workshop with the United Nations University – Maastricht Economic and social Research and training centre on Innovation and Technology (UNU-MERIT). The 2-day event takes place at the Open University, in Milton Keynes, United Kingdom, and seeks to provide an opportunity for discussion and further thinking about the drivers behind increased interest in user and user driven innovation in various sectors and contexts, as well as what the implications of increased focus on, and prevalence of, user driven and user innovation will be for developing countries. A number of leading global academics and practitioners in the area of innovation will be at the workshop. For more details, please contact Dr Julius Mugwagwa (j.t.mugwagwa@open.ac.uk), Prof Joanna Chataway (j.c.chataway@open.ac.uk), Prof Fred Gault (gault@merit.unu.edu), or Marlene Gordon (m.gordon@open.ac.uk) Phone: + 44 (0) 1908 654 782Western models of health system strengthening in Africa
This seminar was successfully held on Nov 25th. It stimulated discussion on a number of issues relating to health system strengthening, further emphasising the complex and context-inherent nature of what health systems are and what strengthening them entails.

The slides and audio file will be up on this website soon.

THeSyS Seminar - 25 November 2009, Ground Floor, Chambers Building, Open University

Title: "Western models of health system strengthening in Africa - medicine, management and technology"

Abstract: "There is currently a debate about the meaning of health system strengthening, and about the way in which it can be operationalised. Using some examples, I intend to contribute to this debate by arguing that western medical models, and technological and management solutions do not fit the needs of developing countries. I believe that a more subtle awareness of the probable trajectory of economic and social development in poorer countries will result in more appropriate solutions both in technology and in the way that technology is managed."

The Speaker: "Rob Parsons works from his airing cupboard. He is an Associate Lecturer with the Open University, teaching and moderating on Technology, Humanities and Business courses. He also works for a private sector company, Health Partners International, which deals in health system strengthening, mostly in Africa, and has a division devoted to healthcare technology management."

Time: 1230pm - 1430pm

Please contact Marlene Gordon (m.gordon@open.ac.uk) for further details

NEW
Short Course on Sustainable Health Innovation

The Open University is interested to hear from those wanting to gain new knowledge and alternative strategies for sustainably promoting innovation for health. The idea is to offer this through a 12-week distance learning continuous professional development course.

Areas of study being considered include:
- Making pharmaceutical innovation work for the poor
- Overcoming the challenges of access to medicines
- Effective regulation and policy environments
- Organisational change to strengthen production and health delivery systems

To express your interest and to know more, please contact:
Dr Becky Hanlin (r.e.hanlin@open.ac.uk)
or Carolyn Baxter (c.a.baxter@open.ac.uk)

Inaugural THeSyS Seminar Held
See details under Seminar Series and report under Related Links on the right
THeSyS Workshop Held
The two day workshop was successfully held on 6 & 7 April 2009, at the Open University, Milton Keynes, where leading practitioners, academics and related others converged to discuss these and other questions, with the aim of stimulating further debate and research in these areas. The workshop report is now available here

Meanwhile, video footage of the event is now available online at http://blip.tv/search?q=innogen/

Overview

Product Development Partnerships (PDPs) involved in the development of drugs, vaccines and diagnostics for the health challenges of the world’s poorest populations are currently confronted with difficult issues and increased funding challenges. The credit crunch and wider alternative choice of financing mechanisms are likely to put further pressure on the partnerships. In addition, while PDPs are designed to promote fast product development, there has been criticism from some quarters about their lack of integration with existing health and research systems in developing countries. On top of this a number of PDPs are also up against immense scientific challenges.

Some PDPs are having to ask themselves challenging strategic questions. Should they increasingly become funders of basic science or should they build on synergies between product development activities on the ground in developing countries and health systems strengthening? Our work explores this latter perspective asking fundamental questions about the link between health systems and the activities of PDPs. From this starting point, it aims to critically assess PDPs by asking the following main questions:

- Do PDPs deliver new organisational arrangements and creative funding mechanisms that are useful not only to PDPs but also health systems strengthening? Do or can PDPs and health systems strengthening actually go hand in hand?

- Is it possible to define and measure success of PDPs in novel ways looking at them as ‘social technology’ experiments and assessing their contributions as technological and social innovators and brokers?

This work is being led by the Open University and University of Edinburgh’s ESRC Innogen Centre. To stimulate discussion on these issues, an electronic forum will be held prior to the workshop. Some key stakeholders in global health issues have provided thought-provoking statements via audio files and are available to answer questions posted on the forum or sent in by email.

We acknowledge financial support for these events from Innogen, IKD and the OU Research Office.