Topic: lessons from developing countries

Co author(s): The Working Group on Priority Setting/COHRED

Organization: Health Policy and Planing

Description: Practical approaches to building better health research systems
‘National Health Research’ synthesizes studies and information. It presents action points on how countries, international programmes and other players can improve health research systems. 

Lack of cooperation on country needs makes research for health less effective read more
This briefing summarizes a study by COHRED of the practices of Health Ministries and research communities in 6 developing countries and 11 international health programs and donor agencies. It asks question: what are the key factors that influence health research agendas in Low and Middle Income Countries?

It finds that the quality and effectiveness of health research efforts in developing countries and of international health programmes suffer due to a lack of coordination and clear communication between the four key players – developing country research managers, researchers, large international health programmes and donors.

Health research professionals and users were consulted in: Cameroon, Cuba, the Gambia, Laos, Nicaragua and the Philippines, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, World Bank, World Health Organization, Population Council, Swedish International Development Agency Department for Research Cooperation (Sida-Sarec), Wellcome Trust and Rockefeller Foundation. Input was also received on the Global Forum for Health Research and Tropical Disease Research Special Programme of WHO, World Bank, and UNDP. 

A follow-up study reviewing Poverty Reduction Strategy Papers in 49 countries and how they address health research is in progress.  

How can countries access ‘Global Fund’ resources for operational research?
The Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria provides funds for operational research as components of their grants. Countries need more practical information on how to use them; also results of these assessments should be widely shared…read more

Date: 2000

Page Number: 6

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This document is not available electronically on the COHRED website. Please contact COHRED for a print-copy.