Short course for Health Managers in Africa
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Health Sector Reform and Sustainable Financing:
Challenges for Managers in African Countries
6 - 24 September 1999
Cape Town, South Africa
BACKGROUND
African countries, as well as other low- and middle-income countries
world-wide, are faced with the dual challenges of achieving accessible
and equitable coverage of health services while providing health care
more efficiently under tight budget constraints. The Health Economics
Unit (HEU) at the University of Cape Town and the Centre for Health
Policy (CHP) at the University of the Witwatersrand, South Africa, are
collaborating with the Economic Development Institute (EDI) of the
World Bank to offer courses designed to increase capacity in African
countries to address these challenges. The first such course will be
held from 6 to 24 September 1999. The HEU and CHP are participating in
this collaborative endeavour with the EDI because they have
considerable experience of offering training courses on health sector
reform issues within the African region. In particular, the HEU and
CHP have offered a "Health Economics and Financing" short course for
the past 3 years and also run occasional specialist short courses
(such as a three-week course on "Economic Evaluation"). In addition,
the HEU offers a regional Masters in Health Economics programme and
both HEU and CHP teach on financing and other related issues within
Master's in Public Health programmes offered by their universities.
The HEU and CHP also provide technical assistance on health sector
reform initiatives in a range of African countries. The collaborative
initiative between the HEU, CHP and EDI will make use of materials
developed for the Washington based "Flagship Course on Health Sector
Reform and Sustainable Financing" which was first piloted in 1997.
These materials were prepared by several centres of excellence from
around the world, including the HEU and CHP. They have subsequently
been revised and adapted by the HEU and CHP, in consultation with the
original authors, to improve the relevance of the materials to the
African region. This course will serve to make the materials developed
for the Washington course accessible to a greater number of health
sector managers within the African region. Graduates of this regional
course will receive certificates that jointly acknowledge completion
of training by the HEU, CHP and EDI. Graduates will also have access
to websites and data bases of the EDI's Flagship Programme.
TARGET AUDIENCE
This course is primarily aimed at senior and mid-level
managers within the public health sector/Ministries of Health (and
where relevant, Ministries of Finance). This course may also be of
interest to senior officials in non-governmental agencies and from
multilateral and bilateral organisations, as well as researchers who
work closely with health authorities. Course participants will be
drawn from a range of African countries. Fluency in English is
required for this course.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
This course aims to provide an integrated and coherent learning
programme covering various aspects of health sector reform and
financing. It is intended to equip health sector managers to apply
tools to analyse the structure and performance of their health
systems, identify alternative paths their health system could
take and to develop plans for implementing relevant health
sector reforms. The objectives are to: l. enable participants
to identify the strengths and weaknesses of health systems in
relation to financing, organisation, provider payment mechanisms
and regulation; 2. provide an overview of recent health sector
financing and organisational reform initiatives internationally;
3. develop skills in documenting and analysing health
care financing and expenditure data and compiling routine National
Health Accounts; 4. provide a critical understanding of alternative
methods of financing health services, and to develop skills for
analysing these alternatives within specific country contexts; and 5.
develop a detailed understanding of health sector decentralisation
initiatives. These issues will be addressed with reference to low- and
middle-income countries, particularly within the African context.
COURSE STRUCTURE AND TEACHING METHODS
All selected participants will be provided with a distance learning
manual at least a month prior to the course. This manual reviews the
concepts of efficiency and equity in health markets, and how market
imperfections necessitate government intervention to correct
distortions. It also provides background information on the design of
National Health Accounts, and on different approaches to sustainable
financing, funding and remuneration practices. The course itself will
consist of three modules: 6 - 10 September: Diagnostic approaches to
assessing strengths, weaknesses and change of health systems This
module reviews diagnostic approaches to assessing the goals of health care
resource allocation and how the structure of national health
systems is affected by history and ethics, politics, institutions, management
and incentive structures. It also explores how different
structures of health care systems affect performance. 13 - 17
September: Revenue sources and collection modalities This module
provides an overview of the principles and practice of designing and
implementing different financing schemes, including general revenue
financing, mandated social health insurance, private insurance, user fees,
revolving drug funds and other forms of community financing.
Issues relating to donor financing are also considered. 20 - 24
September: Decentralisation The final module considers the reasons for
decentralisation, clarifies the different forms decentralisation can
take and the core functions which may be decentralised. It also reviews
financing and resource allocation issues within the context of decentralisation,
the administrative and financial management capacity
requirements to support decentralisation, and factors affecting the
successes and failures of different decentralisation initiatives. This
course has an applied focus, particularly in relation to distilling
lessons from country experience and seeking to understand "what to do"
as well as "how to do it". It combines formal inputs with exercises and
group work to review case studies. The course demands active student
participation and individual after-hours study.
TEACHING STAFF
The course will be taught by staff of the Health Economics Unit
(University of Cape Town), the Centre for Health Policy (University of
the Witwatersrand), and a range of international faculty. EDI staff
will also contribute to the course. These trainers have experience of
health sector work in a wide range of African countries, as well as
knowledge of other settings.
COURSE DETAILS
The course will be held from 6 to 24 September 1999 at the Graduate
School of Business, Victoria and Alfred Waterfront, Cape Town, South
Africa. The course fee is US$1,750. Participants will be expected to
buy their own round-trip ticket to Cape Town and will be responsible
for their hotel and subsistence expenses. Accommodation costs are
approximately US$60-70 per day, and an additional per diem of US$40 per
day for meals and other subsistence expenses is recommended. A travel
allowance (for airport transfers etc.) of US$120 is also advisable.
Thus, costs per participant are anticipated to be approximately
US$4,400 (course fee, accommodation and subsistence) plus the cost of
a return airfare. We recommend that applicants approach donor
organisations for bursary support at an early stage.
LOGISTICS
Arrival: Participants will be expected to arrive in Cape Town on
Sunday 5 September 1999. Course registration will occur at 8h00 on
Monday 6 September and the course will begin at 8h30. Accommodation:
The Health Economics Unit will arrange accommodation at hotels located
in the vicinity of the Victoria and Alfred Waterfront. Participants
are requested to notify the Health Economics Unit of their arrival and
departure dates and accommodation preferences as soon as their
enrolment in the course has been confirmed. Visa and health
requirements: Participants must apply for a South African entry visa
as soon as their enrolment in the course has been confirmed.
Participants are advised to consult with their travel agents
concerning any vaccinations they may require to travel to South
Africa. Participants should also make arrangements for medical travel
insurance. Climate: The weather in Cape Town is generally mild to
warm (cool in the evenings), with occasional rain, in September.
FURTHER INFORMATION
Further information on the course content can be obtained from:
The Health Economics Unit,
University of Cape Town.
Tel: +27-21-406-6558
Fax: +27-21-448-8152
e-mail: masuda@anat.uct.ac.za
APPLICATION FOR ADMISSION
Personal information
Title: Dr. Ms. Mr.
Name: Last First
Sex: Female Male
Date of birth: Month Day
Year Citizenship:
Mailing address
Permanent mailing address:
Work address:
Communications
Telephone (please indicate area code first): (________)
Facsimile (please indicate area code first): (________)
Internet address:
Employment
Current employer:
Current professional position:
Former employer:
Former professional position:
Post-secondary education
Institution (list most recent first) Location
Dates of attendance Degree
Reasons for wanting to attend the course
Please provide a brief description of your reasons for wanting to
attend the course:
Sponsor (must be completed/filled out)
In cases where participants will receive sponsorship for expenses
related to the course, the sponsor should send a letter of financial
certification to the Health Economics Unit. Name of sponsoring
organisation: Contact person: Address:
Telephone (please indicate area code first): (________)
Facsimile (please indicate area code first): (________)
Language proficiency
Please indicate how proficient you are in English:
fair good excellent
Preferably fax, or airmail, this application form and relevant
supporting documentation, to be received by the Health Economics Unit
by 11 June 1999, to: Facsimile: (+27-21) 448-8152 Health Economics
Unit Department of Community Health University of Cape Town Medical
School Anzio Road Observatory 7925 SOUTH AFRICA Letters of acceptance
will be faxed to applicants in late June, to allow adequate time for
the processing of visa applications.
--
Elizabeth Robertson, Librarian
Centre for Health Policy
Department of Community Health
University of the Witwatersrand,
c/o SAIMR, PO Box 1038, Johannesburg 2000.
Tel: +27-11-489-9970
Fax: +27-11-489-9900
mailto:chpres@wn.apc.org
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