Global Health Conference 2012: Is Global Health in Crisis?
This inaugural Global Health Conference will spark vibrant debate on critical global health issues from a wide range of acclaimed international speakers. Presented by GlobalHealth@UNSW,with the theme of 'Is Global Health In Crisis?', the conference will feature speakers from a wide range of global health institutions including UNSW, AusAID, NGOs, World Bank and WHO. The conference will be held at the University of New South Wales, Sydney on 13th August 2012. For more information download the
Global Health Conference 2012 flyer. For readers with an RSS feed the publication can be found at:
http://www.hrhhub.unsw.edu.au/HRHweb.nsf/resources/unsw+global+health+conference+Aug+2012.pdf/$file/unsw+global+health+conference+Aug+2012.pdf
Special Seminar: Field Epidemiology in a Changing World
The School of Public Health and Community Medicine, University of New South Wales is holding a special seminar on Field Epidemiology in a Changing World on Friday, 18th May 2012 from 10.30am to 1pm. Special Guest speakers include Dr Douglas Hamilton, Director of the Epidemic Intelligence Service (EIS), CDC, speaking on
The origins, development and contribution of the US CDC EIS Program to public health response capacity in the US and globally and Prof Tony Adams, AM, Chair, WHO Global Commission for the Certification of Eradication of Poliomyelitis, speaking on
Public health and emergency response capacity in Australia – past, present and future of workforce training. For more information download the
Field Epidemiology In a Changing World. For readers with an RSS feed the publication can be found at:
http://www.hrhhub.unsw.edu.au/HRHweb.nsf/resources/EPIDEMIOLOGY+SEMINAR.pdf/$file/EPIDEMIOLOGY+SEMINAR.pdf
Human resources for health: Issues and challenges in 13 Pacific Island Countries
This comprehensive paper highlights the key areas of concern common to Pacific Island countries – from the perspective of the people who actually manage human resources for health within their country health ministries. Drawing from presentations and discussions at the 2011 Pacific Human Resources for Health Alliance (PHRHA), it reveals the five main human resources challenges facing the Cook Islands, Federated States of Micronesia, Fiji, Kiribati, Nauru, Niue, Palau, Republic of the Marshall Islands, Samoa, Solomon Islands, Tokelau, Tonga and Vanuatu. It concludes with policy recommendations for action at three levels: national governments, regional training institutions and donor organisations.
The paper is currently available for
download and we are also able to send out free printed copies for those who would like them. Email
d.gersbach@unsw.edu.au with your request.
For readers with an RSS feed the publication can be found at:
http://www.hrhhub.unsw.edu.au/HRHweb.nsf/resources/HRH_Issues-Challenges-Pacific-Islands.pdf/$file/HRH_Issues-Challenges-Pacific-Islands.pdf
Maternal, neonatal and reproductive health: Country profile series available now
This profile series reviews and analyses human resources for health issues in maternal, neonatal and reproductive health at community level in ten countries – Cambodia, Fiji, Lao PDR, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands, Vanuatu, Phillipines, Indonesia, Bangladesh and Timor-Leste. These profiles provide baseline information that can inform policy and program planning by donors, nultilateral agencies, non-government organisations and international health practitioners.
All ten reports are currently available for
download and we are also able to send out free printed copies for those who would like them. Email
d.gersbach@unsw.edu.au with your request.
For readers with an RSS feed the publications can be found at:
http://www.hrhhub.unsw.edu.au/HRHweb.nsf/page/Publications
HRH Short Course and International Forum on HRH in resource poor countries
14-18 November 2011
Responding to strong demand, the School of Public Health and Community Medicine at the University of New South Wales ran a short course on Managing Human Resources for Health from 14 to 18 November as part of its 2011 Summer School.
The course explored the particular challenges faced by health services in less developed countries in the Asia Pacific Region and came in the wake of repeated requests from those countries for an intensive residential workshop that addresses their needs.
An International Forum on HRH in resource poor countries on the final day coverd the topics: The state of the world's midwifery in 2011; UN agencies and partnerships - the country reform agenda; The evidence in support of community based interventions: implications for maternal, newborn & child health; and Emerging issues in HRH in resource poor settings.
Download Photo Gallery
Short Course Presentations:
Aboriginal health workers: an illustrative example of workforce substitution
Approached to workforce planning
Health Worker Migration and Mobility: The “Big Picture”
Measuring and monitoring mobility and retention/ group work
Designing and measuring retention – practical tools and indicators
Human Resources for health & decentralisation
A Pacific Regional Human Resource for Health: Policy Discussion Paper
Financing human resources for health
HRH for HIV – Managing Human Resources for Health
Public Health Emergencies: Some issues and approaches
MNRH: Translating policy into practice - the challenges of implementation
Control of NCD in Adults in Pacific Island Countries: A Health Systems Perspective
Building workforce capacity
User Guide: Service Targets Staff Projection Tool
International Forum Presentations:
The state of the world's midwifery in 2011 Audio
UN agencies and partnerships - the country reform agenda Audio
The evidence in support of community based interventions: implications for maternal, newborn & child health Audio
Emerging issues in HRH in resource poor settings Audio
Panel Discussion - Audio
HRH Hub hosts Timor-Leste Day
16 October 2011
Following discussions with the Minister for Health of Timor Leste Dr Nelson Martins earlier this year, the Human Resources for Health Knowledge Hub convened a meeting of the four AusAID funded Knowledge Hubs to harmonise support to the Timor Leste health sector.
The intention of the day was to identify common issues and to devise methods for conducting effective work without disrupting the Ministry of Health. Timor Leste has obtained support for their health sector development from multiple funds, agencies and NGOs and, as we have seen elsewhere, officials are at risk of being over-run by development assistance officials and enthusiasts.
Download full report
Download Photo Gallery
Presentations:
Health Sector Development Challenges in Timor – Jaoa Soares Martins (473KB)
Overview of Universidade Nacional, Timor-Leste – Jaoa Soares Martins (903KB)
Human Resources for Health (HRH) in Timor-Leste: progress and challenges – Augustine Asante (1.91MB)
Collaboration Experiences: Timor-Leste – John Rule (280KB)
Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria: insights into health sector capacity in Timor-Leste – David Fowler (69KB)
Social medicine in Timor Leste – Tim Anderson (487KB)
Videos by Dr Tim Anderson on the Cuba - Timor-Leste cooperation program:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6DFuzvcFdXI
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NIsn6_7vefc
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhMAncnEDQQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gt5hVkUuL18
Policy release: Strengthening supportive supervision int he Pacific
Release: 1 August 2011
In this first Health Workforce Management Policy Brief released by the Human Resources for Health Knowledge Hub, authors Augustine Asante and Graham Roberts make recommendations for improving supportive supervision in health systems across the Pacific region.
In addition to listing key recommendations for govenrment and donors, the authors have provided a successful case study from Tanzania.
Download the full policy brief here
Readers with a text feed can download the full policy brief at:
http://www.hrhhub.unsw.edu.au/HRHweb.nsf/resources/LM_PolicyBrief_SupportiveSupervision_Aug2011.pdf/$file/LM_PolicyBrief_SupportiveSupervision_Aug2011.pdf
Health equity workshop: Case Studies from South Asia
When: 13 July 2011, 1-5pm
In this workshop by Dr Ruhi Saith from Jawaharal Nehru University, participants will discuss the importance of equity in health, focussing on studies from the south-asian region and applying an equity lens to human resources for health.
Download the full seminar flyer to find out more
The format will be some short presentations followed by open discussion. Background materials will be circulated a week before the date.
Please register your interest, by emailing Sara Lubowitz at
s.lubowitz@unsw.edu.au
Readers with a text feed can download the flyer at:
http://www.hrhhub.unsw.edu.au//HRHweb.nsf/resources/Seminar+with+Dr+Ruhi+Saith+130711.pdf/$file/Seminar+with+Dr+Ruhi+Saith+130711.pdf
HR systems in post-conflict Africa - experiences from Tokyo
When: 29 June 2011
The next School of Public Health and Community Medicine Lunchtime Seminar is on Wednesday 29 June at 12noon and will be presented by Dr Noriko Fujita, from the National Centre for Global Health in Tokyo.
Topic is: Human resource system development in post-conflict and African countries – Experiences from National Centre for Global Health and Medicine, Tokyo, Japan
Further details can be found in the attached flyer. No RSVP is necessary and light refreshment is provided.
PSHON reports on Hub findings, May 2011
25 May 2011
Graham Roberts reports on work from the Migration and Leadership and Management research programs in the latest issue of the Pacific Senior Health Officials Network Newsletter.
Follow this link to download Issue 7, May 2011, of the PSHON Newsletter
For readers with an RSS feed find the newsletter at: http://www.hrhhub.unsw.edu.au//HRHweb.nsf/resources/PSHON+Newsletter+Issue+7_Health+Workforce.pdf/$file/PSHON+Newsletter+Issue+7_Health+Workforce.pdf
Improving maternal and child health outcomes: Scaling up family planning
18 March 2011, Melbourne
Dr Shanti Raman recently attended an AusAID roundtable on scaling up family planning (FP), which was hosted by the Women’s and Children’s Hub, Compass. First on the table was a background paper highlighting the major burden of women and girls' deaths due to pregnancy and childbirth in the Asia-Pacific region and promoting ‘family planning’ as the most cost effective intervention in reducing maternal and child mortality. A publically stated commitment by the Australian government through AusAID was to increase assistance to FP in the aid program. This roundtable was about consulting key stakeholders on this commitment and for the consultation to feed into a future maternal, newborn and child health strategy.
Murray Proctor (First Assistant Director of AusAID) introduced the roundtable agenda and reiterated the Australian Government’s commitment to increasing international aid as well as focusing on maternal, newborn and child health as a key plank in the aid agenda. To set the scene, Drs Annette Robertson and Saramma Mathai from UNFPA presented key outcomes from the regional consultation on FP in the Asia Pacific. Dr Natalie Gray (Compass) synthesised the wide-ranging benefits of FP, and outlined some broad brush strategies to scale-up FP. A joint presentation from Marie Stopes International and Family Planning Australia provided successful examples of FP service delivery from the field.
The major consultation involved two topics: one exploring the challenges and opportunities for FP scale up and the other implementing Australia’s increased FP efforts. Discussions centred around what environments enabled FP scale-up, recent innovations in technology and service delivery that made scale up feasible, and responding to complex socio-cultural contexts. There was consensus that Australia had some comparative geopolitical advantages in the global response to MDG 5b (pertaining to FP), and that there were regions in the Asia Pacific that had significant needs in sexual and reproductive and health. These included Timor-Leste and Papua New Guinea and most countries in the Pacific; however Pakistan, Bangladesh and Nepal were also countries in the region where Australian aid supporting FP interventions were considered warranted.
The presence of key stakeholders in maternal, newborn and child health from government and from international players in discussing FP scale up for our region supports our collaborative Hub efforts in the field of adolescent sexual and reproductive health.
For more information on maternal, neonatal and reproductive health programs email Shanti Raman of the HRH Hub at s.raman@unsw.edu.au
Leadership and Management: Country profile series available now
This profile series by Dr Augustine Asante and Prof John Hall reviews and analyses the health management and leadership capacity issues that affect the performance of district health managers in six AusAID priority countries – Cambodia, Fiji, Lao PDR, Papua New Guinea, Solomon Islands and Timor-Leste. The reports in this series have also been reviewed by in-country experts and will be useful for those working in policy development.
All six reports are available for download and we are also able to send out free printed copies for those who would like them. Email d.gersbach@unsw.edu.au with your request. |
For readers with an RSS feed find publications at:
http://www.hrhhub.unsw.edu.au/HRHweb.nsf/page/Publications%20Menu
Is Haiti's system any better?
Follow this link to read a report from
Merlin.org.uk which examines the disaster response to the Haiti earthquake and calls for a more coordinated, collaborative approach.
For readers with an RSS feed:
www.who.int/workforcealliance/knowledge/merlinhaiti_2011report.pdf
Publication release: MNRH Discussion Paper 1
17 January 2011
Dr Angela Dawson's latest discussion paper is now available to download in full text or summary form.
Improving the quality of HRH information: A focus on the providers of maternal, neonatal and reproductive health care and services at community level in the Asia and Pacific regions. Discussion Paper 1.
Despite the importance of accurate information about health service personnel and the context in which they practise, little is known about providers at the community level. The purpose of this discussion paper is to:
- describe some information flows and gaps concerning the workforce that provide MNRH care and services at community level
- discuss potential stakeholders’ HRH information needs and uses
- provide recommendations for improving the availability, quality and use of HRH information.
This paper may be of particular use to district managers as well as non-government organisations (NGOs) and donors wishing to improve their knowledge management and exchange practice in the Asia and Pacific regions.
Summary: Follow this link to download a technical summary of this paper (76 KB)
Full report: Follow this link to download the full text version of this paper. (705KB)
Out and about at the PHRHA
20 July 2010
Hub staff recently met with representatives from the Ministries of Health of Pacific Island countries, aid partners, service delivery professionals and other Human Resources for Health (HRH) stakeholders at the Pacific Human Resources for Health Alliance (PHRHA) meeting in Nadi, Fiji, on July 2010. A focal point of the meeting was for attendees to review the work plan for the PHRHA, which establishes mechanisms to strengthen and improve HRH capacity and development in Pacific Island countries.
Prof Richard Taylor and Ms Denise Quay attended the meeting on behalf of the Hub as a relationship and network building exercise. As Knowledge Manager for the Hub, Denise also used this meeting as an opportunity to scope out the HRH information gaps and requirements of various countries in the Pacific which will feed the Hub’s Knowledge Management and Communication strategy.
Part of the Hub’s strategy is to build an online knowledge repository in the area of Human Resources for Health, which is due to be released towards the end of 2010 and will be a valuable resource for people working in the HRH field in the Pacific region.
New leadership for the Hub
11 July 2010
The Human Resources for Health Hub would like to officially welcome its new Director, Professor Richard Taylor, who takes over the reins from Professor John Hall.
Richard brings a wealth of experience and knowledge to the Hub. He has played a significant role in the field of Epidemiology and Public Health on an international scale, with a particular emphasis on the Asia-Pacific Region. In addition to directing the Hub and undertaking teaching activities in the School of Public Health and Community Medicine at UNSW, Richard is currently the principal investigator in a number of national and international public health studies including, the causes of death in the Pacific Island countries, Australia’s disaster response, suicide epidemiology and Australian Indigenous mortality.
The Hub would also like extend thanks to John Hall for his contribution to date. John has taken up a position at the University of Newcastle in the Centre for Clinical Epidemiology and Biostatistics.
The aim of the Stories and Strategies Series is to conduct and/or document in-depth analysis of Human Resources for Health (HRH) related interventions and innovations in Public Health Emergencies (PHE) that will mitigate impact on human resources for health, will build resilience, and will enhance health system responsiveness and performance in preventing and managing future PHEs in the Asia-Pacific region.
You are invited to a working group meeting at which progress made to date on each of the case studies will be presented and to discuss issues relevant to their further development. Each author/team is requested to prepare an up-to-date overview and current draft of their “stories” for sharing and discussion. The format of the meeting will include brief presentations by the lead on each case study followed by a short discussion plus time to consider overview and cross cutting issues and related concerns. Your input and participation to this working group is appreciated.
Dr Angela Dawson recently attended a Roundtable meeting at the Burnet Institute with The Hon Bob McMullan, Parliamentary Secretary for International Development Assistance. The purpose of the meeting was to provide the Australian Government with the knowledge to help fine tune its international development assistance policy with respect to maternal, neonatal and reproductive health. The group discussed the need for a more practical and evidence-based approach to policy research, not only to improve the effectiveness of strategies, but also to justify them and enable Australians to become more engaged in improving maternal, neonatal and reproductive health across the Asia and Pacific Regions.
As a result of discussions, an additional meeting has been called to explore how Australia can better participate in the global debate concerning MNRH.
Events allow our staff to network, collaborate and disseminate our knowledge and ideas. This calendar lists events either hosted or attended by Hub staff. Contact Donna Gersbach at