ThinkWell at HSR2020!

30 October 2020

ThinkWell is pleased to virtually join over 2,000 policymakers, practitioners, and researchers from more than 100 countries at the Sixth Global Symposium on Health Systems Research (HSR2020) from November 8-12, 2020.

This year, the gathering aims to, “explore how we can build health systems which improve people’s health and are socially just.” We’re thrilled that the theme aligns well with ThinkWell’s mission to ignite system-level transformation for lasting improvements in the health and well-being of society. A broad ecosystem of factors influence health, so we’re looking forward to participating in conversations about how to break down old silos and boundaries.

You can view the full program and register here. We hope to see you there!

ThinkWell’s posters and presentations that will be featured at HSR2020 are briefly summarized below.

A Stakeholder-based Approach to Assessment of Barriers to Climate Change Adaptation (CCA) of Local Health Systems in an At-risk Province in the Philippines: Health system adaptation to climate change (CCAH) requires building on core health system functions and working with actors outside the health sector. Jemar Anne Sigua, Geminn Louis Apostol, Mary Camille Samson, and Leoncio Abiera Jr. mapped the Filipino health system stakeholders involved in CCAH to understand their relationships and to identify the barriers and facilitators to implementing CCAH strategies in a provincial health system. Based on their findings, the authors proposed recommendations in strengthening health system awareness and action towards CCAH. The presentation was be presented at HSR on November 25. It can be viewed here.

Facilitators and Barriers to Engaging Private Primary Care Providers in the Delivery of Family Planning Services in the Philippines: In the Philippines, the supply of family planning services has not kept up with rising demand. The country’s 2019 UHC Law presents an opportunity to improve family planning access. The government can do this by leveraging the country’s vibrant private reproductive health sector that currently offers limited clinical family planning services. Geminn Louis Apostol, Viviane Cen Apostol, Kate Sheahan, and Matt Boxshall’s research presents recommendations that can help make this potential a reality. ThinkWell will continue to work with partners in PhilHealth, PhilHealth, the Ministry of Health (DOH), and others to develop, test, and learn from these interventions. The poster can be viewed here.

Reproductive Health Voucher Schemes in Uganda: Key Lessons for the Future: Over the past decade, Uganda has used voucher schemes to improve low-income people’s access to family planning (FP) and maternal, newborn, and child health (MNCH) services. In early 2020, ThinkWell and the Uganda Ministry of Health (MOH) collaborated to study the latest two voucher initiatives’ experiences. Tapley Jordanwood, Angellah Nakyanzi, Espilidon Tumukurate, Eric Tabusibwa, James Mwaka, Anooj Pattnaik, Sarah Straubinger, Flavia Moi, and Sarah Byakika captured what the voucher schemes have achieved and distilled what can be taken forward to future health system purchasing reforms. The poster can be viewed here.

Purchasing Arrangements at County-level in Kenya: ThinkWell’s Strategic Purchasing for Primary Health care (SP4PHC) team in Kenya supports a program that combines strategies at the national and county levels to improve how public funds are used to pay for primary health care (PHC) services. Boniface Mbuthia, Felix Murira, Shano Guyo, Daniel Koech, and Nirmala Ravishankar completed a rapid situation analysis to understand county-level purchasing practices. The full report can be viewed here and the poster can be viewed here.

Development of a Competency Certification Framework for Primary Care Providers in the Context of Universal Health Care in the Philippines: The Philippines’ UHC Law presents an opportunity to strengthen primary care. To do this, primary care providers must be adequately supported. Louella Patricia D. Carpio, Madeline Mae Ong, Viviane Cen Apostol, and Maria Eufemia Yap created a guidance framework for the primary care certification of health care providers. This framework can help produce primary care providers who will effectively promote health and make the health system more responsive to the population’s needs. The poster can be viewed here.

Understanding Health-Seeking Behavior for Inpatient Care in Antique and Guimara: Christian Nuevo, Pura Angela Co, Helena Alvior, and Mary Camille Samson from ThinkWell’s Philippines team completed a study to describe inpatient care health seeking behavior patterns in the provinces of Guimaras and Antique. They explored factors that affect utilization of inpatient healthcare services. Their study also aimed to assess the potential role of healthcare provider networks in improving access to and delivery of health services. The poster can be viewed here.