Call for Proposals - IMCI in South Africa
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Dear Colleagues,
The Integrated Management of Childhood Illness is a fairly new strat-
egy in reducing childhood illness in terms of management, referral,
home care and prevention. One of the major recommendations of the
South African IMCI Review was the need to encourage research, which
assists Provincial and district management teams in the implementa-
tion of the IMCI. The National Department of Health, in collaboration
with UNICEF, WHO and the Health Systems Trust, is therefore putting
out a call for proposals for research around the implementation of
the IMCI.
There are three major components:
- Health worker skills;
- health system and family; and
- community practices.
Research around the latter two areas are particularly sought. Exam-
ples of research questions include:
What are the barriers to appropriate referral by health workers to
higher levels of care?
What are the factors influencing caretaker compliance after counsel-
ling?
How can the clinic be better organised to facilitate the implementa-
tion of IMCI?
What are the drug supply and cost implications of the IMCI?
How can the health information system be adapted to take into account
the new IMCI classifications?
How can the IMCI approach be used to make linkages with other sectors
and programmes which influence child health?
Preference will be given to proposals that meet the following crite-
ria:
* Increasing the use of research for addressing key IMCI implementa-
tion issues
* Promoting wide participation of stakeholders in the research and
IMCI process
* Strengthening Provincial or district health systems research capac-
ity
* Improving communication and dissemination of research results
* Translating research into action
* Evidence of participation of key stakeholders (i.e. local health
management, local health staff, local communities and/or NGOs)
* Leadership ability to coordinate the proposed activities within the
partnership
* Demonstration of likely long-term sustainability and capacity
building potential
* Low administrative costs relative to likely research impact, with
efficient financial administration between partners
The proposals should contain the following information not to exceed
1,200 words:
1. Project title
2. Name, position and contact information of applicant
3. Details of partnership:
4. Brief CVs of key individuals
5. Research project information
6. Aims and objectives of the proposed project
7. Proposed methods to be used
8. Planned activities
9. Justification:
9.1. Relationship to present IMCI activities
9.2. Academic/technical support available
9.3. Potential to improve research capacity of previously disadvan-
taged personnel
9.4. Potential application of research to the implementation of the
IMCI
10. Deliverables (reports, publications, manuals, policy guidelines
etc.)
11. Estimated global budget and duration (projects should be com-
pleted in one year or less; give only a total budget at this stage)
12. Budgetary contribution by host and partner institutions.
Proposals will be reviewed by the IMCI Research Management Team. Suc-
cessful applicants will then be invited to present a draft proposal
at a first training and protocol development workshop. On this basis
participants will finalise their proposals and will be asked to sub-
mit them for the award phase. Projects will receive technical support
during execution tailored to their needs.
Closing date for receipt of proposals is 20th October 2000.
Please send your proposals to:
Ms Gcinile Buthelezi
Research Programme
Health Systems Trust
P.O Box 808
Durban 4000
South Africa
Tel: +27-31-307-2954
Fax: +27-31-304-0775
mailto:research@healthlink.org.za
with the following as the subject:
'Proposal'
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