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Strengthening Health Technology Policy in Africa
highlights
Overall Programme Objective
The overall objective of the programme is to contribute to improved healthcare delivery and access in Africa by improving the quality of science and technology (S&T) policy through the generation and dissemination of relevant knowledge. This objective expects to contribute to the UNMDGs numbers four, six and eight.
Introduction
The ATPS Programme on Strengthening Health Technology Policy in Africa focuses on key knowledge and technology issues that lead to the improvement of health delivery systems in selected African countries. The overall objective of the programme is to contribute to the improved healthcare delivery and access in Africa by improving the quality of science and technology (S&T) policy and generating and disseminating relevant knowledge. This objective is expected to contribute to the UN Millennium Development Goals (MDG) four - reducing child mortality; and six - Combating HIV/AIDS, Malaria and other diseases; and eight - developing a global partnership for development.
The purpose of the programme is to generate, disseminate and promote the use of relevant knowledge that will enhance the efficient management and use of various health technologies and frameworks. The aim is to contribute to increasing knowledge on the acquisition and use of technologies for the efficient management of healthcare systems, improve global and national policy environments, and empower grassroots and other levels by increasing knowledge and benefits of health technologies for improved health.
More specifically, the programme hopes to strengthen policies for healthcare technology management and assessment, and national AIDS coordinating institutions; reduce the incidence of HIV/AIDS through information communication technology (ICTs) and HIV-related technologies; and enhance the use of pyrethrum and indigenous plants for managing malaria.
Although the ATPS programme feeds into some of the regional and international efforts such as, the NEPAD Health Strategy and the health-related MDGs and international development goals, it is unique because it capitalizes mainly on the Network's disposition in generating and brokering knowledge in science, technology and innovation (STI) policy research and advocacy.
ATPS, through the programme, intends to strengthen policies for healthcare technology management and assessment by commissioning a Network member or institution to further develop the basic framework for equipment planning, incorporation and management developed by the World Health Organization (WTO) to include other healthcare technologies and an additional process that deals with learning (knowledge generation and use) within healthcare institutions. Using the enhanced framework, ATPS commissions case studies to examine select institutions in Africa to assess their management of health technologies and make recommendations.
ATPS also hopes to contribute to strengthening the national AIDS coordinating institutions by evaluating various national AIDS control councils with the overall goal of highlighting best practices, and identifying gaps, with a view to improving their overall performance.
The Network works towards improving knowledge on the use of ICTs and other HIV related technologies to address the HIV pandemic by examining the innovative roles of ICTs and other healthcare technologies in addressing the HIV/AIDS pandemic with the view to influencing behaviour in the context of Africa's numerous cultural environments.
The youth are the most threatened and the greatest asset and hope for turning the tide against HIV/AIDS. The extent and mode of transmission of the disease will depend, to a large extent, on their actions. ATPS has brought together youth leaders to explore ways in which young people can be used as agents of change to stem the growth of HIV/AIDS in their countries. ATPS anticipates that youth congresses will develop the youth leaders so that they can go back to their countries, link up with AIDS control councils and institutions and strengthen their university science clubs to include knowledge in information exchanges with other students.
The broad emphasis of the programme, therefore, is to use knowledge to make health systems more efficient, to empower policy makers to recognize and exploit new technologies and opportunities in the fight against HIV/AIDS and Malaria and examine the empowerment of youth and women as agents of behaviour change. To enhance knowledge exchange and training workshops ATPS plans to organize knowledge exchange forums for government and other officials at chapter level.
The programme, primarily funded by the Royal Dutch Government, was launched on 28 November during the 2005 ATPS Annual Conference and Workshop in Mombasa, Kenya. The workshop served as a foundation for research activities under the health programme in Africa.
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