CHEPSAA: Consortium for Health Policy and Systems Analysis in Africa
African capacity to conduct health policy and systems research is currently limited, despite regional and international recognition of the importance of this area of research. Few African scientists work in this relatively new area of health research and few African universities offer relevant training programmes. At the same time, policy-makers are often not aware of relevant research and the interactions between the research and policy communities necessary to support evidence-informed policies are weak.
COMDIS: Research Programme Consortium
Communicable diseases remain the leading causes of death and morbidity in low and middle income countries . The very poor, women and disadvantaged groups are particularly susceptible. Although there are many researchers working on communicable disease control in these countries, the findings are often not appropriate for them, being too expensive and/or technically sophisticated and/or inconsistent with local provision or politics.
COMDIS-HSD: Research Programme Consortium
Health services are generally very poor in low and middle income countries and the very poor, women and disadvantaged groups receive particularly bad service. It is vital that strategies to deliver health services are feasible for the context, are sustainable and can be scaled up to the whole country.
EVAL-HEALTH: Developing and testing of new methodologies to monitor and evaluate health related EU-funded interventions in cooperation partner countries
The need for improving the effects of external aid to developing countries is increasingly recognised internationally, for example in the Paris Declaration on Aid Harmonisation and Effectiveness. The European Union (EU) is committed to delivering more and better aid, raising the importance of adequate monitoring and evaluation (M&E) of external aid to developing countries.
HESVIC: Health system stewardship and regulation in Vietnam, India and China
The health systems of many low-middle income countries are changing. One aspect of this change relates to the governance of health systems with the old assumptions of a dominant public health system alongside a smaller private sector being challenged in many countries, raising the importance of assessing the understanding and application of the concept of governance in different contexts.
Making birthing safe for Pakistan women
In Pakistan, neonatal and maternal deaths are still too high. The MNCH Programme has been launched with five key strategic components, including enhanced availability and use of skilled birth attendants and emergency obstetric care through strengthened primary health care facilities – which are the two key approaches to making birthing safe. A nationwide network of about 100,000 female health workers is already involved in antenatal and postnatal care of pregnant women, providing counselling for skilled birth attendance and helping with travel arrangements for emergency obstetric care (if required). A review of current arrangements and practices shows that the care delivery process needs enhancement to include adequate information provision to help informed 'decision' making and planned 'action' taking by pregnant women.
Smoke Free Homes Research Programme
Second-hand tobacco smoke (SHS) is a serious health hazard to non-smoking adults and children. In the EU alone, 72,000 people die every year due to SHS exposure at homes. In adults, SHS is associated with cardiovascular diseases, chronic respiratory diseases, and nasal and lung cancer. Asthma and wheezing are more prevalent in children exposed to SHS than in children in smoke free homes. The risk of other lower respiratory illnesses, chronic middle ear disease and sudden infant death syndrome is also high among such children. Exposure to SHS in the antenatal period results in low birth weight babies and is associated with problem behaviours later on in childhood. Observational studies suggest an association between smoking uptake among teenagers and parental smoking.