Identification of Priority Research Questions Within the Areas Of: Health Financing; Human Resources for Health and the Role of Non-State Sector
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Final Report – 6 August 2008 IDENTIFICATION OF PRIORITY RESEARCH QUESTIONS WITHIN THE AREAS OF: HEALTH FINANCING; HUMAN RESOURCES FOR HEALTH AND THE ROLE OF NON-STATE SECTOR Prepared by Delius Asiimwe Senior Research Fellow, MISR Supported by Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research Reproduced with permission Priority Research Questions Study 1 Makerere Institute of Social Research Final Report – 6 August 2008 Priority Research Questions Study 2 Makerere Institute of Social Research Final Report – 6 August 2008 TABLE OF CONTENTS ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ....................................................................................................................................... 5 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY ........................................................................................................................................ 6 Background....................................................................................................................................................... 6 Study Description and Methods..................................................................................................................... 6 Findings ............................................................................................................................................................. 7 Policy Concerns – Health Financing .......................................................................................................... 7 Policy concerns – Human Resource for Health........................................................................................ 7 Policy Concerns – Non-state Sector .......................................................................................................... 7 Priority Research Questions ....................................................................................................................... 7 ABBREVIATIONS .................................................................................................................................................. 9 1.0 STUDY CONTEXT ................................................................................................................................... 11 1.1 Objectives of the Study ................................................................................................................... 12 2.0 METHODOLOGY ..................................................................................................................................... 12 2.1 Scope.................................................................................................................................................. 12 2.2 Selection of organizations and respondents................................................................................. 12 2.3 Methods of Data Collection ............................................................................................................. 12 2.3.1 Literature Search and Review .................................................................................................... 12 2.3.2 Pre-visits ........................................................................................................................................ 13 2.3.3 In-depth interviews with Key Informants................................................................................. 13 2.4 Data Analysis..................................................................................................................................... 14 3.0 LITERATURE REVIEW ........................................................................................................................... 14 3.1 Introduction....................................................................................................................................... 14 3.1.1 Health Care Financing ................................................................................................................. 15 3.1.2 Human Resource for Health ....................................................................................................... 16 3.1.3 Non-State Sector.......................................................................................................................... 17 4.0 FINDINGS FROM KEY INFORMANT INTERVIEWS ............................................................................ 19 4.1 Policy Concerns - Health financing ................................................................................................ 19 Priority Research Questions Study 3 Makerere Institute of Social Research Final Report – 6 August 2008 4.1.1 Budgeting and Resource allocation for the health sector..................................................... 19 4.1.2 Public financing of the private sector........................................................................................ 19 4.1.3 Alternative source of financing................................................................................................... 20 4.2 Research Priority Questions - Health Financing........................................................................... 22 4.3 Policy Concerns – Human Resource for Health............................................................................ 23 4.3.1 Numbers, deployment and attrition .......................................................................................... 23 4.3.2 Record Keeping and Data Management ................................................................................... 23 4.3.3 Human Resource for Health Training........................................................................................ 24 4.3.4 Management of Human Resource for Health........................................................................... 24 4.4 Research Priorities Areas – Human Resource for Health ........................................................... 25 4.5 Policy Concerns – Non-State Sector .............................................................................................. 26 4.6 Research Priorities Areas – Non-State Sector .............................................................................. 26 5.0 DISCUSSION........................................................................................................................................... 27 5.1 Uganda’s Health Policy Environment............................................................................................. 27 5.2 Health Financing............................................................................................................................... 27 5.3 Human Resource for Health............................................................................................................ 28 5.4 Non-State Sector .............................................................................................................................. 28 5.5 Strength of the study Methodology ............................................................................................... 29 5.6 Short Comings of the Study Methodology .................................................................................... 29 6.0 REFERENCES .......................................................................................................................................... 30 Annexes:........................................................................................................................................................... 31 1: List of Key Informants .............................................................................................................................. 31 2: Key Informant Tools ................................................................................................................................. 31 Priority Research Questions Study 4 Makerere Institute of Social Research 5 ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS This report was prepared by Makerere Institute of social Research, Makerere University as part of the collaborative study with Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences, University of Dar es Salaam Tanzania. The author would like to thank Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research, WHO, Geneva for supporting this study. He also wishes to extend his gratitude to Sara Bennett, Manager and Michael Kent Ranson, Consultant both of Alliance HPSR for their input that shaped the outcome of this study. I am also grateful for the thoughtful guidance of the Dr. Francis Runumi, Commissioner Health Service Planning and Dr. Basaaza, Senior Planner, Ministry of Health, Kampala during the preparatory stages of the study. On behalf of Makerere Institute of Social Research, I would especially like to thank the informants that participated in the study – policy makers and program staff from the various government ministries, leaders of NGOs providing health care and providers’ associations as well as private providers who freely gave in their time to answer questions and provided reflections on policy concerns and priority research questions. Special tribute goes to the leadership of the health consumer and users organization in championing the communities’ voices in health care and hope that these findings will contribute to improving the health and quality care of the people of Uganda and the region. Priority Research Questions Study 5 Makerere Institute of Social Research 6 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY Background Uganda is among the twenty poorest countries in the world with a per capita GDP of about $300 with about 31 percent of Ugandans still living below the poverty line