Options at the Health Systems Research Symposium 2018

In many countries, weak health systems remain an obstacle to progress and result in deficiencies in coverage for even the most basic health services.

We therefore welcomed this year’s theme of the Health Systems Research (HSR) Symposium, which was held in Liverpool between 8-12 October 2018: ‘Advancing health systems for all in the SDG era’.  Sharing our 26 years of knowledge and experience in working with partners to build health systems that leave no one behind, we presented our work from Malawi, Kenya, Bangladesh, Nepal and Yemen.

Our satellite session on “Lessons from applying systems thinking to research and programme implementation: How to build health systems that leave no one behind” was hosted in partnership with London School of Tropical Medicine, moderated by Karl Blancet, and Swiss Tropical and Public Health (TPH) Institute. The session built on Don de Savigny’s book “Applied Systems Thinking for Health Systems Research”, while bringing together researchers and implementers to debate the impact and feasibility of using systems thinking approaches when designing and delivering research and technical assistance projects.

We would like to thank the organisers of this year’s HSR Symposium and all our partners and staff who have worked to make our participation in this year’s event a success!

Satellite session material

• Systems Thinking Methodologies for Health Systems Research – An Introduction (Don de Savigny, Professor Emeritus Health Systems and Policies Research, Swiss TPH)
• Bridging theory and practice  (Sarah Fox, Assistant Technical Director, Options)
• Stakeholder mapping in Kenya (Nicole Fulton, Team Leader, MANI Kenya, Options)
• Participatory Approaches in Malawi (Wina Sangala, Deputy Team Leader for MHSP-TA, Options)
• Getting Research into Policy and Practice through Embedded TA (Cindy Carlson, Team Leader MHSP-TA, Options)
• The contribution of systematic engagement with key stakeholders in a results-based financing programme in Malawi (Matthew Nviiri, Team Leader RBF Programme Malawi, Options)
• Applying systems thinking, Process mapping in Bangladesh (Alice Sabino, Technical Specialist, Options)

Poster presentations

• Money for What? Making sure community needs are visible to the Global Finance Facility (Stephen Yambi, E4A-MamaYe, Kenya)
• Effect of Human Resources for Health Mentorship on Emergency Obstretrics Skills Transfer of Lower Cadre Health Workers (Peter Kaimenyi, MANI, Kenya)
• Impact of Green Energy installations on maternal and newborn health, Bungoma County, Kenya (Gladys Ngeno, MANI, Kenya)
• Formalising government and faith-based agreements enables Malawi to implement UHC objectives (Mark Malema, MHSP-TA, Malawi)
• Embracing the political realities of health systems strengthening in Malawi (Cindy Carlson, MHSP-TA, Malawi)
• Excess Facility-based C-section rates in Nepal (Maureen Dar Lang, NHSSP, Nepal)
• Institutionalising ‘leaving no one behind’ through hospital based social service units in Nepal (Sitaram Prasai, NHSSP, Nepal)