Earlier this week we announced the launch of the new iDSI website: a platform that highlights our work helping low and middle income countries to achieve sustainable, good quality healthcare and also provides a place for our experts to weigh in on current events in the global health community on our blog. Our Impact The second feature of the new …
iDSI launches new communication platforms for the global health community
We’re very excited to announce that iDSI has a new and much improved website! We believe that the new site will better serve the global health community: providing access to key resources to support the advancement of healthcare systems and connecting people with our network of health economists and global health experts. You can find our website at the same …
Universal Health Coverage: what can the Republic of Zambia learn from Thailand?
The Government of the Republic of Zambia are working towards providing Universal Health Coverage (UHC) so that everyone has access to quality health care without having to face financial hardship. At present, Zambia provides the population with basic health care services free of charge at the primary health care level. The services that are available are set out in their …
WHO reports decreased local spending on health in presence of donor aid – so what does this mean?
Over the past decade there has been a noticeable shift in global health analyses from a macro focus on achievement of key metrics such as the Millennium (now Sustainable) Development Goals, to micro-level scrutiny of discrete aspects of health system functioning. One recent example is the WHO report “towards UHC – thinking public”, published online recently. This report explores the …
More money is not always the answer to the ills of global health
Increasing the amount of money spent on health isn’t always the answer, especially in the absence of a system that can readily and effectively absorb additional funds. Laura Downey discusses this in the context of India in the following blog. According to an IndiaSpend analysis of 2017 Reserve Bank of India data on state budgets, nine of India’s poorest states …
Ramblings in Rome – a first-timer at HTAi
Each year, HTAi attracts over 1200 participants from 70 different countries. From 19 – 21 June, Rome was awash with scientists, policy makers, journalists: anyone who is involved in the field of HTA. Because of the number and variety people, a huge number of topics came to the stage. Ranging from the latest technologies in the field of surgery, to …
iDSI at HTAi: bringing India closer to UHC
How will India achieve its target of Universal Health Coverage for its 1.25 billion population? Last month Laura Downey, GHD, convened a panel at The panel was chaired by Kalipso Chalkidou, GHD, and speakers alongside Laura included representatives from the Department of Health Research (DHR), Ministry of Health and Family Welfare, Government of India and the Post Graduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), …
Implementing a sugar tax in South Africa
Why should South Africa welcome a sugar tax? Professor Karen Hofman explains how a sugary beverage tax could reduce diabetes and obesity in South Africa in her recent lecture at Imperial College London. As part of a Global Health & Development lecture, Professor Karen Hofman discussed the research evidence that informed the tax on sugary beverages in South Africa, to …
HITAP Announce New International Internship Program
Imagine you are a researcher from a low- or middle-income country who wants to undertake research that would help your country make better decisions about healthcare provision in the nation. However, your country has limited resources. You know that the solution is ‘evidence-informed decision making’ but you also know that you and your colleagues have very limited capacity in this …
Building capacity for undertaking Health Technology Assessment analyses in India
Health Technology Assessment (HTA) is an important tool for prioritizing health resources in India’s journey towards Universal Health Coverage (UHC). This was one of the key take-home messages from the first in a series of workshops designed to build capacity for undertaking HTA analyses in India. Participants from technical institutions across the country travelled to Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala to …