A L L I A N C E F O R H E A LT H P O L I C Y A N D S Y S T E M S R E S E A R C H W O R L D H E A LT H O R G A N I Z AT I O N A V E N U E A P P I A 2 0 1 2 1 1 G E N E V A 2 7 S W I T Z E R L A N D a l l i a n c e h p s r @ w h o . i n t w w w. w h o . i n t / a l l i a n c e - h p s r The Al l iance for Health Pol icy and Systems Research was establ ished in 1999 and is housed as an international partnership within the World Health Organizat ion. It is governed by a Board made up of stakeholders in health pol icy and systems research, and assisted by a Scientif ic and Technical Advisory Committee. The Secretar iat, headed by an Executive Director, manages day-to-day implementation of act iv it ies. The Al l iance works to: 1. Provide a unique forum for the health pol icy and systems research community. 2. Support institutional capacity for the conduct and uptake of health pol icy and systems research. 3. Stimulate the generation of knowledge and innovations to nurture learning and resi l ience in health systems. 4. Increase the demand for and use of knowledge for strengthening health systems. Its mission is to promote the generation and use of health policy and systems research as a means to strengthen the health systems in low- and middle- income countries. A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 1 7 WHO/UHC/HSR/18.1 © World Health Organization 2018 Some rights reserved. This work is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 IGO licence (CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 IGO; https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0/igo). Under the terms of this licence, you may copy, redistribute and adapt the work for non-commercial purposes, provided the work is appropriately cited, as indicated below. In any use of this work, there should be no suggestion that WHO endorses any specific organization, products or services. The use of the WHO logo is not permitted. 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David H Peters Chair of the Board © Jo hn s H op kin s B lo om be rg S ch oo l o f P ub lic H ea lth MESSAGE FROM THE CHA I R The Alliance was founded 20 years ago. Twenty years have changed the world in many ways, but have not obviated the need for decisions and policies to be informed by the best possible evidence – especially in health, where people’s lives are at stake. It is now recognized that cost-effective and equitable responses to population health needs, including responses to health emergencies, depend on strong health systems, where decision-making is informed by the best available evidence. Twenty years of Alliance work has resulted in more visibility for the field of health policy and systems research (HPSR), more scientific publications, more funders, more funding, and more symposia (the fifth Global Health Systems Symposium will be held in Liverpool in 2018). The first-ever World Report on Health Policy and Systems Research: 20 Years on was launched in 2017, and could not be more timely and relevant. A seminal publication, the World Report traces the evolution of HPSR from 1996-2016. Much of the progress in the field would not have occurred without the leadership shown by the Alliance. In the Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) era, where tackling inequity, a central organizing principle linking multiple sectors, increasing international and domestic funding for health system strengthening and HPSR is essential. Effective mechanisms are needed to improve networking among low- and middle-income country (LMIC) researchers, and to connect researchers and policy-makers to generate knowledge that responds to policy-maker and civil society demand, and is used in decision-making. The Alliance is well- positioned to rise to the challenges presented by the SDGs, being a thought leader in applying systems thinking to support integrated approaches to development in local and global contexts. Through its work, the Alliance demonstrates that good health depends on addressing related social and environmental factors, and continues to share these learnings with diverse communities of stakeholders around the world. Continued leadership and life-long learning would not have occurred without the consistent support provided by the Board, those on the Scientific and Technical Advisory Committee (STAC), the small but committed Alliance Secretariat, and the Executive Director, Abdul Ghaffar. Their innovative efforts to apply systems thinking to co-produce and use knowledge across sectors to improve health contribute importantly to LMIC health systems’ efforts to achieve Universal Health Coverage and health equity for all. 3ANNUAL REPORT 2017 Abdul Ghaffar Executive Director © W HO MESSAGE FROM THE E XECUT I V E D I RECTOR Throughout 2017 the Alliance continued to put forward ideas, with appropriate partners, about the importance of making use of what we know. Remaining true to the principles of equity, collaboration, systems thinking, and leadership, the small but dedicated Alliance Secretariat has worked diligently to set directions and to facilitate learning across boundaries to achieve Universal Health Coverage and the SDGs. We have co-produced manuals, guides, peer-reviewed journal articles, and journal supplements as we continue to challenge assumptions about how to turn research into practice at the health policy level. It is through change that national policy-makers and funders can see how their investments have contributed to the creation and use of policy-relevant knowledge to improve the performance of health systems. Measuring the impacts of generating and using evidence to inform health policy decision-making is a lengthy, slow, and difficult process. Notwithstanding, this year’s Annual Report presents more than twice the number of country stories than in 2016 demonstrating how Alliance-supported work contributed to change and influenced policy. The increase reflects to some extent information capture that often best emerges at the end of grant cycles/biennia, but also reflects the use-value of demand- driven research. Funders demonstrated their ongoing trust in the Alliance’s innovative and important work not only by asking the Alliance to continue its activities, but by making new grant commitments and increasing support for the future. We are grateful for the confidence shown. For me, this recognition of the Alliance’s work comes with a great sense of responsibility to ensure that health policy and systems research be demand-driven, context-centric, and impactful by bettering people’s lives through improved health. We look forward to continuing our perseverance in leading and learning how HPSR can best reflect the expectations of decision-makers. Similarly, we will continue to advocate for investment in this field, while considering diversity and inclusivity as essential among all stakeholders and citizens of all countries and regions. 4 ALLIANCE FOR HEALTH POLICY AND SYSTEMS RESEARCH 2017: A MILESTONE YEAR 2017 marked the 20th anniversary since the Alliance’s inception. The milestone was commemorated in Stockholm, Sweden at a gathering of donors, researchers, policy-makers, and other partners. The event was hosted by the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida) and the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), with co-sponsorship by the World Bank and WHO. Among the highlights of the event was the launch of the first World Report on Health Policy and Systems Research, which provides a definitive overview of the state of the field of HPSR and its future directions, In particular the report demonstrates the evoution of funding for HPSR, while highlighting that it is still a neglected field in spite of its established value for strengthening health systems and improving health. Participants in the event, including policy-makers from low- and middle- income countries (LMICs), research leaders, and funding agencies, recognised and appreciated the contributions of the Alliance as a leader and catalyst in the field of HPSR. © W HO Participants at the 20th anniversary event in Stockholm, April 2017 “The World Report on Health Policy and Systems Research reflects the importance of monitoring and measuring developments in the field. It provides evidence that allows national policy-makers and funders to see how their investments contribute to the generation and use of policy-relevant knowledge.” © W HO Marie-Paule Kieny, Assistant Director- General for Health Systems and Innovation, October 2010 − June 2017, WHO 5ANNUAL REPORT 2017 The event also featured an announcement of the Alliance-convened Learning, Engaging and Advocating for Policy and Systems Research (LEAP) Forum. LEAP is a consortium of networks that aims to increase the sustainability of investments and ownership of HPSR by governments and other stakeholders. Forum participants identified the need for more HPSR, more policy-relevant research, and more research that is co-produced. LEAP affirms the Alliance’s role as a convener of diverse global actors and leaders advancing learning and research for stronger health systems and better policies. The winning essay of an Alliance-issued competition was also featured at the 20th anniversary event. The competition theme “The future of health policy and systems research” generated 84 essays from a range of young researchers in LMICs. The winning submission, “Expanding the boundaries of HPSR: A southern perspective,” was presented by the lead author Amanda Edwards. 2017 was a year in which funders reaffirmed their trust in the Alliance, and requested that it continue its innovative and important work. The Department for International Development (DFID), United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland extended its grants to the Alliance for a futher five years and Sida increased its contribution of support to the Alliance. Amanda Edwards, lead author of winning submission to Alliance essay-competition © W HO “Agenda 2030 presents numerous opportunities for change in the field of HPSR. Not only is it a more holistic and integrated approach to global development, but it also recognizes that health cannot be achieved independently from other global issues.” © S id a Lennart Båge, Acting Director-General, November 2016 − May 2017, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency 6 ALLIANCE FOR HEALTH POLICY AND SYSTEMS RESEARCH LEADING AND LEARNING ABOUT DEMAND-DRIVEN RESEARCH EMBEDDED RESEARCH The Alliance has played a pioneering role in advancing embedded research as an approach to integrate evidence into decision-making processes for health. Embedding research also enables a range of health-related research disciplines to come together in providing evidence to strengthen health systems, and consequently improve health. The Alliance’s collaborations in 2017 provided support for over sixty research projects in LMICs. Lessons from the embedded research experience in the Americas were showcased in a special issue of the Pan American Journal of Public Health. A meeting on “Embedded Research for Health Systems Strengthening” in Ghana brought together researchers, policy- and decision-makers, and funders engaging in, advocating for, or supporting the embedded approach, from Africa and beyond. RAP I D R EV I EWS The Alliance has broken ground in generating demand-driven knowledge that can rapidly inform policies and practices. Rapid review approaches are nascent in HPSR and the Alliance is assisting their evolution by supporting rapid reviews of health policy and systems knowledge in LMICs, including their application in emergency situations. In 2017, the Alliance continued its programme of work on rapid reviews to address decision-makers’ needs and demands for timely, responsive, and relevant research to inform policy and systems decisions. The publication Rapid Reviews to Strengthen Health Policy and Systems: A Practical Guide provides guidance on developing and using demand-driven rapid reviews. Rapid review centers in Ethiopia, Lebanon, and South Africa received financial and technical support to address timely requests by decision-makers for context-sensitive evidence to support health policy and systems decisions. GLOBAL E V I DENCE SYNTHES I S I N I T I AT I V E The Alliance provided financial support to the Global Evidence Synthesis Initiative (GESI), a network of organizations committed to the development and use of research synthesis to enhance public policy, public service delivery, and citizens’ involvement, with a strong focus on LMICs. In 2017, the GESI network coordinated capacity strengthening activities for 37 members in 24 LMICs. It organised sessions in global conferences, as well as webinars on evidence synthesis and the use of review findings to support policy and practice. “Together, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation and the Alliance have worked with country leaders to bring to light the increasingly important role that embedded research can have in achieving their goals of strengthening their health systems and achieving universal health coverage.” © D or is Du ke C ha rit ab le Fo un da tio n Lola Adedokun, Program Director for Child Well-Being and Director of the African Health Initiative, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation “Working with the Alliance we have practically demonstrated the value of embedded implementation research towards universal health coverage.” © U NI CE F Stefan Peterson, Associate Director, Chief Health Section, UNICEF 7ANNUAL REPORT 2017 D E C I S I O N - M A K E R L E D I M P L EM E N TAT I O N RESEARCH The Alliance partnered with UNICEF and Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, in the Decision-Maker Led Implementation Research initiative to support 14 embedded research projects led by decision-makers with researcher counterparts to improve the implementation of immunization programmes in LMICs. This work produced context-specific evidence to inform decision- making and action, and also helped strengthened capacity in implementation research. The Alliance also supported ten country-led implementation research projects to improve vaccine coverage in Pakistan, where the Alliance provided technical assistance, working with Gavi and UNICEF country office and team. M E A S U R I N G T H E I M P A C T O F S O L A R E LECTR I F I CAT I ON ON HEALTH S ERV I CES Responding to decision-makers’ need for solutions to provide electricity to remote health facilities in Uganda and Ghana, in 2017 the Alliance launched an implementation research initiative on sustainable energy solutions for health services. The health and energy sectors in the two countries came together on the agenda of providing remote health facilities with solar electricity and measuring the impact on services for maternal and child health. The initiative aims to deepen the evidence base on the implementation of similar sustainable energy solutions, particularly at the primary care level. STRENGTHEN ING CAPAC I T Y FOR HPSR The Alliance supported capacity strengthening for researchers and implementers through primary research grants for demand-driven embedded research in LMICs. To build sustainability, teaching materials aimed at institutional capacity strengthening were developed, including guides and readers. The publication A Health Policy and Systems Research Reader on Human Resources for Health provides guidance to policy-makers and researchers for addressing human resources for health needs to achieve universal health coverage in the SDG-era. Recognizing the lack of a critical mass of capacity in the area of health policy analysis (HPA) in LMICs, the Alliance initiated a PhD mentorship programme to provide hands-on training in applying HPA methods to inform policy design and implementation. In 2017, the Alliance launched the development of country case studies in nine LMICs of systems and structures which support the use of research evidence in decision-making. These examine contextual differences among countries with increasingly sustainable and robust institutions for both the demand and use of evidence, as well as similarities in approaches and strategies. The Alliance has also strengthened the institutional capacity of a network of regional academic and research institutions that are managing calls for embedded implementation research. “Working with the Alliance and UNICEF on the Decision-Maker Led Implementation Research initiative has been an opportunity to leverage our organizations’ unique expertise to achieve a shared goal of successfully delivering immunizations, one of the most effective child health interventions, to those populations that are most in need, difficult to reach, and present a major challenge for global health. The Alliance offers innovative thinking in implementation research and systems thinking that elevates the value of research efforts to understand why immunization programs are not working and how they can be improved.” © G av i, t he V ac cin e Al lia nc e Hope Johnson, Director, Monitoring and Evaluation, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance “The daily challenges of making sense of the complexity in modern day health care systems, calls on policy-makers to make a range of informed decisions to strengthen the systems they function in.” © W HO Keith Cloete, Chief of Operations, Western Cape Government, Health Department, Republic of South Africa 8 ALLIANCE FOR HEALTH POLICY AND SYSTEMS RESEARCH QUAL ITAT IVE EV IDENCE TO IMPROVE HEALTH DEC I S I ON -MAK ING Qualitative evidence is fundamental to understand the factors influencing the implementation of health policies and interventions. Responding to the need for guidance in the field, the Alliance supported the production of seven papers about applying a new methodology for qualitative evidence syntheses. This new approach is called the GRADE-CERQual approach (Confidence in the Evidence from Reviews of QUALitative research), published in Implementation Science. RESULTS -BASED F I NANC ING Collaborating with the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad) and the WHO Department of Health Governance and Financing, the Alliance took results-based financing from scheme to system with learnings from eleven countries. The work was published in a special issue of Health Systems and Reform entitled “Taking results-based financing from scheme to system.” ACCESS TO MED I C INES Alliance work on access to medicines (ATM) responds to an increasing recognition that health systems strengthening interventions were often designed within single building blocks of the system and that interconnections between systems components were frequently ignored. Applying a wider systems approach to improving ATM seeks to ensure that policies are more effective at the system level and generate longer term equitable and sustainable results. The findings of Alliance-supported ATM projects in seven LMICs are being brought together in a collection of articles “Beyond pills and prescriptions: Applying a systems lens to Access to Medicines,” published online in BMJ Global Health. PR IMARY HEALTH CARE SY STEMS The Alliance developed case studies of primary health care (PHC) systems in 20 LMICs to support PHC improvements and contribute to universal health coverage. The knowledge generated will help develop and implement policies and programmes, inform national health plans and health systems reforms, and will serve as a potential guide for global health stakeholders, including development agencies interested in strengthening PHC systems in LMICs. “Tackling HIV, maternal and child deaths, diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, and cancer requires applying a systems approach and advocacy. We need evidence to shift minds and develop effective policies.” © S ou th A fri ca n M ed ica l R es ea rc h Co un cil Glenda Gray, President and CEO, South African Medical Research Council “Grants along with technical support received from the Alliance enabled our research team to develop adequate skills and capacity in HPSR as well as for evidence- informed policy-making in Nigeria. The team continues to work extensively with national, state, and local government policy-makers on evidence-to-policy processes. We have permanently institutionalized health policy and health systems research in this part of the world.” © In st itu te fo r H ea lth P ol icy an d He alt h Sy st em s, Eb on yi St at e Un ive rs ity Jesse Uneke, Director and Founder, Institute for Health Policy and Health Systems, Ebonyi State University, Nigeria 9ANNUAL REPORT 2017 H E A L T H S Y S T E M S R E S E A R C H F O R S U S T A I N A B L E D E V E L O P M E N T G O A L S PR I OR I T Y - SETT ING A participatory research priority-setting exercise was undertaken with policy- makers and researchers to identify their needs, priorities, and research questions for applying HPSR to help achieve the SDGs. The priority questions, encompassing social protection, social accountability, and multisectoral collaboration, will be used to support the development of more participatory and accountable institutions for health in the SDG-era. The top ranked priority question for social protection for health addresses how social protection programmes can be designed, implemented, and evaluated to ensure sustainability and scalability in low- and middle-income countries, including conflict affected settings. The results of this work set the scene for demand- driven applications of HPSR to SDG themes. “The Alliance continues to break new ground in HPSR, leading the way for many others. Its value as a WHO hosted partnership cannot be overstated.” © W HO Viroj Tangcharoensathien, Chair of the Programme, Budget and Administration Committee of the WHO Executive Board (May 2017) 10 ALLIANCE FOR HEALTH POLICY AND SYSTEMS RESEARCH Universal health coverage (UHC) – role of non-state providers Rapid Review Centers Primary Health Care Systems Decision-maker led implementation research Improving programme implementation through embedded research Strengthening capacity for implementation research and research uptake Afghanistan Argentina Bangladesh Bolivia (Plurinational State of) Bosnia and Herzegovina Brazil Burkina Faso Cameroon Chad Chile Colombia Dominican Republic Democratic Republic of the Congo Ethiopia Georgia Ghana India Indonesia Kenya Kyrgystan Lebanon Mexico Mongolia Mozambique Nigeria Pakistan Peru Rwanda Somalia South Africa Sri Lanka Thailand United Republic of Tanzania Uganda Viet Nam Indicates one project. ALLIANCE SPONSORED RESEARCH IN 2017 COUNTRIES IN WHICH THE ALLIANCE SUPPORTED WORK IN 2017 11ANNUAL REPORT 2017 2017 HIGHLIGHTS JANUARY2017 Meeting on Health Policy and Systems Research: commemorating 20 years Launch of journal supplement on results-based financing in Health Systems and Reform Invited speakers at Swedish Institute for Global Health Transformation (SIGHT) at Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden Protocol development and training workshop for implementation research in solar electrification of health facilities, Accra, Ghana Workshop for decision- makers and researchers on identifying barriers and priorities for implementation research for immunization programmes, Islamabad, Pakistan Editorial in WHO Bulletin: Strengthening health systems through embedded research Protocol development and training workshop for implementation research in solar electrification of health facilities, Kampala, Uganda Launch of journal supplement on embedded research in the Pan-American Journal of Public Health 1st Annual African Health Initiative (AHI) Phase 2 Grantee Meeting, Maputo, Mozambique Launch of World Report on Health Policy and Systems Research 12 ALLIANCE FOR HEALTH POLICY AND SYSTEMS RESEARCH DECEMBER Launch of “Rapid Reviews to Strengthen Health Policy and Systems: A Practical Guide” at Global Evidence Summit, Cape Town, South Africa Second pilot of Implementation Research Course for Programme Managers and Implementers, Johannesburg, South Africa Breakfast meeting of Health Attachés to discuss the value of HPSR, Geneva, Switzerland Inauguration of the African Institute for Health Policy & Health Systems, Ebonyi State, Nigeria Launch of “A Health Policy and Systems Research Reader on Human Resources for Health” at Fourth Global Forum on Human Resources for Health, Dublin, Ireland Priority-setting exercise for SDGs completed First pilot of Implementation Research Course for Progamme Managers and Implementers, Dhaka, Bangladesh Expert consultation to set priorities for PHC research and establish a PHC Research Consortium, Boston, United States of America Embedded research data analysis and evidence use workshop, Lima, Peru First webinar by policy-makers group on Participatory Leadership Launch of the primary health care systems (PRIMASYS) case studies Meeting on Embedded Research for Health Systems Strengthening, Accra, Ghana Side events at the Universal Health Coverage Forum 2017: “Domestic Financing for HPSR: Key to UHC” and “Embedding Health Systems Research within Health Systems to Achieve UHC,” Tokyo, Japan First workshop of Health Policy Analysis PhD Mentorship Programme, Cape Town, South Africa Launch of “Rapid Reviews to Strengthen Health Policy and Systems: A Practical Guide,” WHO Geneva, Switzerland 13ANNUAL REPORT 2017 CONTRIBUTING TO CHANGE AND INFLUENCING POLICY IN 2017 INDIVIDUALS IN LOW- AND MIDDLE- INCOME COUNTRIES SUPPORTED BY THE ALLIANCE IN 2017 Number of researchers 439 Number of decision-makers sensitized to evidence use 419 Researchers and decision-makers involved in short-term training programmes (including online courses and webinars) 819 14 ALLIANCE FOR HEALTH POLICY AND SYSTEMS RESEARCH DOCUMENTS AND PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED IN 2017 Peer-reviewed documents by Alliance-funded researchers and Alliance Secretariat 68 Technical reports by Alliance-funded researchers 15 Book or book chapters published by or sponsored by the Alliance 10 Conference papers and proceedings (e.g. reports for ministerial summits/high-level task forces on research, conference abstracts, posters) 14 Presentations by Secretariat or Alliance-funded researchers in national and international fora 99 Policy documents supported or funded by the Alliance 17 PERU Leveraging funding to scale up integrated care Embedded implementation research findings shed light on the fragmentation of health services for TB and HIV co- infected patients. The results informed the development of an integrated care model now being scaled-up nationally with a US$ 10 million grant from the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB, and Malaria. NIGERIA Integrating evidence-informed policy-making The Health Systems Research Policy Group developed a policy checklist tested in multiple countries. In Nigeria, the checklist supported the infusion of evidence into several key policies around UHC. Increasing immunization coverage through participatory research and action Participatory action research was used to engage communities in dialogues about barriers to immunization services and developing action plans. Implementation and evaluation of the communities’ action plans resulted in an increase in immunization coverage. GHANA Bridging sectors to improve quality of maternal and child health The Alliance, WHO Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health Department, and the UN Foundation applied implementation research methods to understand how health and energy sectors can join to provide life-saving energy needs to remote health facilities. TRINIDAD AND TOBAGO Capacity strengthening in policy and planning The policy checklist developed by the Health Systems Research Policy Group was incorporated in policy analysis training and supported evidence- informed decision-making. COUNTRIES IN WHICH THE ALLIANCE SUPPORTED WORK IN 2017 15ANNUAL REPORT 2017 PAKISTAN Informing the National Health Vision The Pakistan PRIMASYS case study was one of the documents used to inform the development of the National Health Vision 2016–2025. VIET NAM Addressing failures in the immunization system through implementation research A policy brief was used to present the findings of implementation research that identified immunization system failures and gaps, including recommendations for system strengthening in Viet Nam. UGANDA Bridging sectors to improve quality of maternal and child health The All iance, WHO Public Health, Environmental and Social Determinants of Health Department, and the UN Foundation applied implementation research methods to understand how health and energy sectors can join to provide life-saving energy needs to remote health facilities. Improving the use of microplans for immunization services A policy brief presented the results of implementation research to under- stand barriers to the development and implementation of microplans for immunization services at health facilities, including recommendations for improvement in Uganda. DEMOCRATIC REPUBLIC OF THE CONGO Implementation research to improve data quality Implementation research was used to understand barriers in the health information system to improve the quality of data used to inform immunization strategies and decision-making in the DRC. LEBANON Supporting the health systems’ response in Syria The Alliance rapid review center in Lebanon conducted a rapid scoping review on policies to protect and support health care workers in armed conflict zones to raise the profile of the Syrian crisis in global health. SOUTH AFRICA mHealth review used for the development of WHO guidelines Findings from a mHealth systematic review from the Alliance-supported review center in South Africa have informed the development of WHO guidelines on digital health in the area of reproductive, maternal, child, and adolescent health. SRI LANKA Informing primary care strengthening The Sri Lanka PRIMASYS case study was one of the documents used to inform a report on Sri Lanka’s new model for primary care strengthening by the Ministry of Health and the World Bank. CHAD Expanding vaccination services through implementation research Implementation research was used to identify people-centered strategies presented in policy briefs to improve the delivery of vaccination services to nomadic communities in Chad. KENYA Addressing immunization pain through implementation research A policy brief was developed describing the results of implementation research highlighting the problem of immunization pain as a barrier to vaccination service delivery, including recommendations to overcome it in Kenya. Africa Region 258 Region of the Americas 47 South East Asia Region 73 European Region 5 Eastern Mediterranean Region 39 Western Pacific Region 17 Total percentage from low- and lower- middle-income countries 74% NUMBER OF RESEARCHERS SUPPORTED BY THE ALLIANCE IN 2017 BY WHO REGIONS CONCLUSION “As governments worldwide are developing UHC schemes and progressing towards the Sustainable Development Goals, now more than ever, governments need high quality and relevant evidence to support key decisions about people- centred and integrated service delivery, competent and satisfied human resources for health, equitable access to medicines, and other pressing health system challenges.“ N. Yamamoto © W HO Naoko Yamamoto, Assistant, Director- General, Universal Health Coverage and Health Systems, WHO 16 ALLIANCE FOR HEALTH POLICY AND SYSTEMS RESEARCH DONORS AND OTHER KEY PARTNERS The Alliance gratefully acknowledges the continued core financial support from the governments of the Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation (Norad), the Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland Department of International Development (DFID), and the Republic of South Africa through the South African Medical Research Council. Other donors and supporters include the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, UNICEF, the Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, the United Nations Foundation, and the International Development Research Centre, Canada. 2 0 1 7 F I NANC I A L I N FORMAT I ON U S$ m ill io ns 0 — 5 — 10 — 15 — 20 — 25 — 30 — TOTAL RESOURCES available balance at the beginning of 2017 income ACTUAL COSTS expenditures 7.9 PLANNED COSTS 20.4 11.3 encumbrances 17ANNUAL REPORT 2017 ALL I ANCE GOVERN ING BOD I E S A S O F 3 1 D ECEMBER 2 0 1 7 A L L I A N C E B O A R D CHAIR David H Peters, Edgar Berman Professor and Chair, Department of International Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, United States of America Maria Teresa Bejarano, Senior Research Advisor, Research Cooperation Unit, Department for Partnerships and Innovation, Swedish International Development Cooperation Agency (Sida), Sweden Keshav Desiraju, former Union Health Secretary, Government of India, India Alex Ezeh, Executive Director, African Population and Health Research Center, Kenya Lynda Fenton, Health Adviser, Health Research Team |Research and Evidence Division, Department for International Development, United Kingdom Maimunah A. Hamid, former Deputy Director General of Health, Malaysia Marie-Paule Kieny, Assistant Director-General, Health Systems and Innovation Cluster, World Health Organization, Switzerland (until June 2017) Kelechi Ohiri, Chief Executive Officer, Health Strategy and Delivery Foundation, Nigeria Ingvar Theo Olsen, Policy Director, Department for Global Health, Education and Research, Norwegian Agency for Development Cooperation, Norway Diana Pinto, Health Lead Specialist, Division of Health and Social Protection, Inter-American Development Bank, United States of America Naoko Yamamoto, Assistant Director-General, Universal Health Coverage and Health Systems, World Health Organization, Switzerland (as of October 2017) S C I E N T I F I C A N D T E C H N I C A L A D V I S O R Y C O MM I T T E E CHAIR Jeanette Vega, Director, National Health Insurance System (Fondo Nacional de Salud), Chile Trish Greenhalgh, Professor of Primary Care Health Sciences, Nuffield Department of Primary Care Health Sciences, University of Oxford, United Kingdom Bocar Kouyate, Director, National Malaria Research and Training Centre, Burkina Faso Simon Lewin, Senior Researcher, Norwegian Knowledge Centre for the Health Services, Norway George Pariyo, Senior Scientist, Department of International Health, Bloomberg School of Public Health, Johns Hopkins University, United States of America Sabina Faiz Rashid, Dean and Professor, James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University, Bangladesh Göran Tomson, Professor of International Health Systems Research, Karolinska Institutet, Sweden A L L I A N C E S E C R E TA R I AT Abdul Ghaffar, Executive Director Pauline Bempong, Assistant to the Executive Director Lydia Bendib, Technical Officer Maryse Coutty, Administrative Assistant Veloshnee Govender, Technical Officer Dena Javadi, Technical Officer Gloria Kelly, Programme Officer Etienne Langlois, Technical Officer Arielle Mancuso, Technical Officer Ellen Rosskam, Lead, Policy Outreach Zubin Shroff, Technical Officer Michelle Thulkanam, Communications Officer Nhan Tran, Manager John Warriner, Technical Officer 18 ALLIANCE FOR HEALTH POLICY AND SYSTEMS RESEARCH
A L L I A N C E F O R H E A LT H P O L I C Y A N D S Y S T E M S R E S E A R C H W O R L D H E A LT H O R G A N I Z AT I O N AV E N U E A P P I A 2 0 1 2 1 1 G E N E V A 2 7 S W I T Z E R L A N D a l l i a n c e h p s r @ w h o . i n t w w w. w h o . i n t / a l l i a n c e - h p s r The Al l iance for Health Pol icy and Systems Research was establ ished in 1999 and is housed as an international partnership within the World Health Organizat ion. It is governed by a Board made up of stakeholders in health pol icy and systems research, and assisted by a Scientif ic and Technical Advisory Committee. The Secretar iat, headed by an Executive Director, manages day-to-day implementation of act iv it ies. The Al l iance works to: 1. Provide a unique forum for the health pol icy and systems research community. 2. Support institutional capacity for the conduct and uptake of health pol icy and systems research. 3. Stimulate the generation of knowledge and innovations to nurture learning and resi l ience in health systems. 4. Increase the demand for and use of knowledge for strengthening health systems. Its mission is to promote the generation and use of health policy and systems research as a means to strengthen the health systems in low- and middle- income countries. A N N U A L R E P O R T 2 0 1 7