Institutional strengthening in health: Lunch seminar at the Department for International Development

NICE International were invited to speak at the Department for International Development (DFID) “brown bag” lunch seminar, discussing issues in international health with DFID Health Advisers. Dr Ryan Li and Laura Morris, in conjunction with Rob Lloyd, Itad (our partners on monitoring and evaluation), presented our approach to institutional strengthening.

The discussions focused on our practical support to decision makers in Kerala (India) and China, funded by the Health Partnership Scheme. We have worked on request with government institutions to implement quality improvement in maternal health and the management of non-communicable diseases. The field reviews and key stakeholder interviews conducted by Itad emphasised the value of the ‘NICE brand’, and of our power in convening policymakers, healthcare providers and clinicians in joint-working to develop locally-owned, sustainable, and transparent processes for priority-setting.

For supporting countries that are aspiring towards universal health coverage, the NICE International approach may be a useful model for laying down some of the important institutional foundations of health systems strengthening. Dr Francoise Cluzeau, Associate Director of NICE International, will be returning to the DFID lunch seminar series in April to discuss in-depth the impact of our ongoing engagements at state and central levels in India.

Itad’s report on NICE International’s engagement in India, which explores the findings in more detail, has now been published online and is available here. NICE International and Itad are collaborating to build a robust M&E framework for the International Decision Support Initiative, to understand and share lessons on our role in institutional strengthening in low and middle-income countries.

Find the presentation here