Centre for Health Policy, University of the Witwatersrand

Centre for Health Policy (CHP) School of Public Health Faculty of Health Sciences University of the Witwatersrand P.O. Box 1038 Johannesburg, 2000 Phone + 27 11 489 9936 Fax: +27 11 489-9900 http://www.wits.ac.za/chp/

The Centre for Health Policy (CHP) is an independent multi-disciplinary research unit based at the School of Public Health in the University of the Witwatersrand. The South African Medical Research Council also recognizes it as the Research Group in Health Policy. CHP was established in 1998 to support the development of post-apartheid health policy and now has over 17 years experience on South African health policy. It is one of the largest and oldest research groups looking at health policy in the African continent.

The Centre seeks to contribute to excellence in health systems, health policy and health economics research in South Africa and the wider African region. CHP also aims to be a critical participant in health policy processes in South Africa and to ensure that our research is fed back into policy processes. The Centre advocates and promotes policies in support of equity and social justice in health.

The primary focus of research at CHP is to support the development of the South African health system in ways that meet the needs of all groups of South Africa, but particularly the most marginal groups. CHP actively seeks to draw together theoretical insights and empirical evidence in understanding health system change and in proposing strategies for future health systems development. CHP’s current research agenda focuses on policy issues in a number of related areas:

Health systems; Health equity; Health financing and economics; Human resources; Gender-based Violence; HIV, AIDS & STI’s, and Maternal Health

The work of CHP includes undertaking research to inform policy makers, evaluating the impact of health care policy, providing practical support for those implementing new policy, and supporting training and teaching in heath policy research. We play a key role in the University of the Witwatersrand, School of Public Health’s MPH and PHD programme.

CHP is committed to developing meaningful international partnerships, both in the African region and elsewhere in the developing world. Currently research collaborations are underway which involve collaboration with researchers in Tanzania, Uganda, Zimbabwe,

DRC, Malawi, Zambia, Lesotho, Swaziland and Nigeria. We are also working with researchers in Bangladesh, Thailand, Russia, and the UK.

CHP academics have published numerous research reports, chapters in books, and articles in peer reviewed journals; as well as presented at national and international conferences. In 2005 CHP academics have published in WHO Bulletin on sexual assault services in South Africa, in Health Policy maternal health and health systems, in Social Science and Medicine on child sexual abuse, and in Sexually Transmitted Infections on improving the quality of STI care provided by private general practitioners. Academics from CHP have also contributed to and edited a special edition of Social Science and Medicine on Building Trust and Value in Health Systems in Low and Middle-Income Countries.

CHP currently employs 15 full time academic staff, and has an annual budget of approximately R6.5 million. . For more details about CHP, and our publication list, you can go to the CHP website on http://www.wits.ac.za/chp/