Contents:

1. Note from Abdo Yazbeck, Program Leader

2. HIV/AIDS activities with the program

3. Highlights of upcoming events (Jan-Jun 2006)

4. Selected highlights from last Jul –Dec 2005.

5. New Publications

 1. Note from Abdo Yazbeck, Program Leader of Health and AIDS

Let me first wish you a Happy New Year and welcome those of you who joined us in 2005, either by taking a WBI course offered by the Health and AIDS Team and our partners, or by requesting to be added to our subscribers list.  As mentioned in the last issue, 2005 saw the successful merger of the Health Nutrition and Population Program (HNP) and the Leadership Program on AIDS (LPA) into the Health and AIDS Program. Since this Newsletter covered the HNP team issues in the past, the next section provides a quick summary of our HIV-AIDS activities.

Important activities which took place during the last few months include two new courses launched by our regional partners.  The American University of Beirut, our Middle East and North Africa Regional Partner, developed and successfully delivered the first advanced Flagship Course on Quality.  The course received such strong evaluations that it promises to become a perennial event.  The other new course is the first WBI global course to be developed and delivered by a regional Partner.  This was the Advanced Flagship Course on Equity, by Semmelweis University, Hungary who offered the course twice for Eastern Europe and Central Asia, and then last October the course was offered and well received by a global audience.

A growing part of our portfolio is the emergence of web-based courses delivered over the internet.  Over the last 3 years we have delivered the web-based course, Health Outcomes and the Poor in English, Spanish and French.  This year we will offer the first web-based course in Chinese.  We are also piloting a series on Health Economics, Essential Public Functions, and Gender, Health and Poverty (see description of the first two later in this issue). We will provide a more extensive write-up on our new web-based courses in our next issue.

Once again, Happy New Year, and I hope to see many of you in our upcoming courses.

Cheers,

Abdo Yazbeck

 2. The HIV-AIDS Activities of the Health and AIDS Program

HIV-AIDS is reversing progress achieved in the past and is threatening to sabotage future development throughout the world. The main objectives of the HIV-AIDS component of the Health and AIDS Program are to 1) enhance the capacity of governments and other stakeholders to design, implement, monitor and evaluate comprehensive HIV-AIDS programs; and 2) use Information and Communication Technology (ICT) to share knowledge, experiences and best practices on fighting the pandemic.

Capacity building activities which are conducted to achieve these objectives can be classified under the following broad categories i) policy dialogues, ii) implementation support, ii) knowledge sharing.

Policy Dialogue: Worth noting under policy dialogue are regional courses on mainstreaming HIV/AIDS issues in National Development Strategies such as Poverty Reduction Strategies. These courses encourage tackling HIV/AIDS as a cross cutting development problem by promoting dialogue among various government ministries (Health, Finance, Social Welfare, Economic Planning), International Finance Institutions (World Bank, IMF), United Nations agencies (UNDP, UNAIDS) and other stakeholders (NGOs, Communities).

Implementation support: Courses conducted under this category are aimed at accelerating scaling up of responses. For example, The World Bank, in partnership with WHO and in collaboration with the Global Fund and other bilateral donors, supports scaling up of HIV/AIDS treatment programs by conducting courses on managing procurement and logistics of HIV/AIDS drugs and related supplies.

Knowledge sharing: Every month there is a video conference on HIV/AIDS. This allows policy makers, HIV/AIDS program planners and implementers to share experiences and ideas on combating the pandemic. Issues raised during the VCs are followed-up though e-discussions.  

 3.  Highlights of Upcoming Events (January-June 2006)

Global Events

Accelerating Progress towards the Health Millennium Development Goals and other Health Outcomes from March 20-31, 2006, in Washington, D.C. This two-week course is a new offering developed in collaboration with the World Bank Health Network and the World Bank Institute. It is intended to target health outcomes in general and the health MDGs in particular. The course is designed for government representatives, members of civil society organizations, members of bi- and multi-lateral organizations whose work is related to health concerns and is not targeted to a specific region. The main message of the course will highlight the fact that money counts, but that more money and economic growth are of themselves not enough to achieve the health MDGs. Contact person: Shenna Ross: sross1@worldgank.org 

Basic Health Economics self-paced e-learning course

Health economists can contribute to better decision-making. Long term capacity building efforts, through degree programs in universities, should develop the human capital needed in health economics to address needs.  But short and medium-term needs cannot be met through deeper human capital investments through universities.  Furthermore, health economists, even when well trained, are not always included in the decision-making in ministries of health.  A clear gap exists for training and empowering, policy and operational decision makers on how health economics can contribute to strengthening the effectiveness of health systems by efficiently and equitably addressing the needs of the population. The objectives for this course are to expose participants to the potential contribution of health economics in decision making. We are happy to announce that the first successful rendition of this course has almost come to an end.  A new rendition will be announced in coming months.  Contact person: Jo Hindriks:   jhindriks@worldbank.org

AFRICA (Sub Saharan) REGIONAL AND COUNTRY EVENTS

Managing Procurement and Logistics of HIV/AIDS Drugs and Related Supplies- National Workshops. The objectives of these national workshops courses are to 1) enhance the capacity of country level implementation agents and key staff of the development partners in procurement and supply chain management of HIV/AIDS drugs and related supplies and to 2) promote harmonization of policies, procedures and practices at the country level in accordance with the “Three Ones” principle. The courses are organized in partnership with WHO and in collaboration with the Global Fund, U.S. Government and linked with the Multi Country AIDS Programs (MAP), and Global Fund Programs at the country level. They will be offered in Ghana, Tanzania, and Botswana (dates tbd). Contact person: Shenna Ross sross1@worldbank.org

Achieving the MDGs in Ethiopia: Poverty Reduction, Reproductive Health and Health Sector Reform from January 30 to February 10, 2006 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia. This national course is organized in collaboration with the Federal Ministry of Health, the Packard Foundation and the World Bank Institute. Many recent developments in Ethiopia highlight the need to prepare fertile grounds to scale up Reproductive Health and Population related interventions. This two-week course will provide skills to participants for designing and delivering more efficient, equitable, and financially sustainable reproductive health interventions in the context of health sector reforms and evolving international policies. The target audience is staff from governments, donor agencies, international organizations, research institutions, the private sector and PVOs/NGOs involved in health and government-initiated health sector reforms. Contact Person: Dr. Sahlu Haile Packard Foundation shaile@packard.org

Flagship Course on Health Financing and Marginal Budget Bottlenecks from February 6 to 10, 2006 in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.  This course is an adapted version of a module of the Flagship program Health Sector Reform and Sustainable Financing. It will introduce participants to Marginal Budgeting for Bottlenecks approach and techniques, and to Public Expenditure Reviews, National Health Accounts, Benefit Incidence Analysis, fiscal space, and policies for decreasing inequalities in health.  The course extensively draws on the health sector reform experience in Ethiopia, as well as on learning experiences from other countries in the region.  The course is delivered in collaboration with the USAID Essential Services for Health in Ethiopia Project (ESHE). The target audience is health sector managers, government officials and public health experts and trainers at central and regional level, staff from ESHE, and from donor agencies. Contact Person:  Stephane Legros  slegros@worldbank.org.

Distance learning course on Health insurance in Social Protection, by videoconferencing, will take place in March 2006 (dates tbd). The course will help the targeted audience, composed of officials involved in designing and managing social protection programs, to identify the major questions raised by the introduction of the process of health/sickness insurance:  who should be eligible, which services will be covered, what proportion of the costs will be reimbursed, how, who pays, how to collect the funds efficiently, how to prevent/fight moral hazard and adverse selection? Participants will also design strategies for better integrating the health/sickness insurance and other social protection mechanisms in their countries. Groups of 15-20 persons from Ethiopia, Ghana, Kenya, Nigeria, and Tanzania will be invited to participate. Contact person: Shenna Ross sross1@worldbank.org  

EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA COUNTRY EVENT

First Flagship course on Health Sector Reform in Turkey, from March 13-22, 2006.

This 2-week national course will be delivered in partnership with the Turkish School of Public Health. The agenda includes 3 modules: (i) Analyzing Health Sector Performance,  (ii) Decentralization, and (iii) Hospital Reform. The purpose of the course is to strengthen the understanding among the stakeholders of the key issues and policy options. The target audience is mid-level government officials, health services managers, academics at the central and provincial level, and key agencies involved in Health System Development. Contact person:  Stephane Legros slegros@worldbank.org

ASIA COUNTRY EVENT

MongoliaFlagship Course on Health Sector Reform and Sustainable Financing (Ulaan Baartar. Mongolia, from May 2006). Mongolia is in transition to a market economy and this process has put great stress on the health system.  The Mongolia Flagship Program will help address critical issues and bottlenecks and build a constituency of health care decision makers and managers in Mongolia who share a common understanding of the challenge and paradigms of health sector reform, and appreciate the advantages and disadvantages of different reform options.  The Program will provide training to senior decision makers and mid-level managers in health economics, health care financing, and other key areas of health sector reform; and build the capacity of government officials to develop and analyze policy options for health insurance reform and increased decentralization within the health sector in Mongolia. The program consists of two courses, one delivered in late spring of 2006 and the second, the fall of 2006.  The courses will be organized in partnership with the Open Society Institute of the Soros Foundation. Contact person: Chialing Yang cyang2@worldbank.org

MIDDLE EAST COUNTRY EVENTS

Yemen Rapid Result Approach for the Health Sector, from February 11-15, 2006. Implementation capacity is currently the key challenge to build effective health programs in Yemen. This workshop will use the Rapid-Results methodology to enhance the capacity of staff to accelerate the implement of health programs. The Rapid result methodology is a management tool that accelerates implementation of projects by targeting efforts to the achievement of highly visible results. The focus is to promote the use of performance measures in management and instilling a results oriented culture.  The objective is to strengthen the implementation capacity of the Ministry of Health and other related health programs in Yemen.  Contact Person: Tanya Ringland sringland@worldbank.org

Egypt- All 7 one-week courses are adaptations of the original Flagship Course on Health Sector Reform and Sustainable Financing, and are being organized by the National Training Institute in Cairo in close collaboration with the Ministry of Health and the World Bank. 

1) Social health Insurance course Jan 22-26, 2006

2) Health Economics Feb 12-16, 2006

3) Reforming Health Institutions Feb 19-23, 2006

4) Decentralization March 19-23, 2006

5) Provider Payment Mechanism April 16-20, 2006

6) Private Public Partnerships May 7-11, 2006. 

7) Quality of Care May 21-25, 2006 

Contact Person: Hadia A. Karam hsamaha@worldbank.org

 4.  Selected highlights from past 6 months (July-December, 2005)

GLOBAL EVENTS

The 8th Global course on Achieving the MDGs: Poverty Reduction, Reproductive Health and Health Sector Reform was held from August 15-26, 2005 at the ILO Training Centre in Turin, Italy. The course was attended by 62 participants, including three Bank staff, several UNFPA and WHO headquarters and field staff, and large groups from Bangladesh, Ethiopia, and Iraq. After four years of fruitful collaboration with ILO Training Centre in Turin, it was decided that in the future the annual global courses would be held in Bangkok, Thailand in collaboration with Chualalongkorn University. This allows us to provide the training where the growing numbers of our customers are. The content of the course focuses on tools and language that will help participants work more effectively in contexts where funding approaches are shifting from project to programmatic assistance (under PRCs and SWAps), and where the criteria for funding are based on reducing the burden of poor reproductive health outcomes for poor women. Contact person: Lan Joo ljoo@worldbank.org

“Résultats de santé centrés sur les pauvres” - Health Outcomes and the Poor E-learning course in French was held from July 20 to August 31, 2005.

This was the first time this course was held in French for a mainly Francophone African audience.  The six-module, six-week internet-based course analyzed existing PRSP documents in order to improve their health chapters.  Participants discussed analytical and practical methods and tools to improve health outcomes for the poor. Sixty Participants from 23 countries attended. Facilitators wrote a combined total of 1376 messages discussing the course content.  Evaluations for this pilot showed an above average appreciation. Participants were health sector practitioners, mid-level policy makers, representatives of the NGO community, representatives of bilateral and multilateral agencies, such as WHO, WB, UNFPA, Unicef etc.  The course was co-facilitated by WHO-Geneva.  Contact person: Jo Hindriks  jhindriks@worldbank.org

New Flagship Course on Health Sector Reform and Sustainable Financing was held from Oct 17 to Nov 4, 2005.  The World Bank Institute, in collaboration with the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH) and the HNB Hub, delivered this 8th global event in Washington DC.   Sixty-five participants were involved, including 51 participants from 17 Bank client countries, 14 World Bank task managers, and 5 staff from donor agencies.  This year, the Flagship 2005 course benefited from several revisions, based on a technical review of the last global Flagship held in January, 2004. Major revisions included (i) updating course materials to reflect major changes in global health priorities, (ii) inclusion of more evidence based country cases demonstrating successful and failed reforms, and (iii) special ‘drill-down’ modules during the 3rd week of the course, focusing more on implementation issues.   The 3-day drill down modules, offering participants a choice between ‘Social Health Insurance’ and ‘Public-Private Collaboration’ were particularly well received.  This course will be offered in Washington again in October, 2006.  Contact person: Shenna Ross sross1@worldbank.org

Strengthening the Essential Public Health Functions global e-learning pilot

The Pan American Health Organization and the World Bank Institute jointly launched the pilot of this 13-module, 13-week internet based course in October.  The first track has been successfully completed by a group of 80 participants, selected from among 850 applicants.  The second and third tracks will be held in December and January respectively.  The overall objective of the course is to develop leadership and competencies in the performance and assessment of the Essential Public Health Functions (EPHF), as a critical component in strengthening national capacity in public health. The first track focused on the basic elements of public health such as Health Situation Monitoring, Surveillance and Risk Control, Human Resource Development, and Emergencies and Disasters. The second track will focus on Strategy and Policy issues by looking at Policy Development, Regulation, Health Promotion, and Research, while the third track deals with Access and Quality issues in four modules: Quality of Services, Equitable Access, Social Participation and Inter-sectoral Action for Health. This course currently does not accept new applicants.  Please stay tuned to future issues of this newsletter to learn about new opportunities to enroll. Contact person: Jo Hindriks jhindriks@worldbank.org

As part of the World AIDS Day commemorations, the Health and AIDS Program illuminated the impact HIV/AIDS is having on the lives of children and the youth by organizing a video conference (VC) which connected youths (including those living with HIV/AIDS) from South Asia, Africa, the Caribbean and The Unites States of America. The theme was “HIV/AIDS and the Youth: STOP AIDS: KEEP THE PROMISE”. The VC provided a platform for youths and government officials and representatives of donor organizations to discuss the need to have  voices of children and youth heard on issues that affect them. Twelve countries participated in this event and there were about 150 participants from youth organizations, government officials, NGOs and media organizations, Academic institutions, and representatives of United Nations Organizations.

A World Bank book, “Reducing Poverty on a Global Scale: Learning and Innovating for Development” was launched by the former President of the World Bank, Mr. Jim Wolfensohn and WBI Vice President Frannie Leautier. The book, which draws from 103 case studies on poverty reduction interventions, emphasizes the “practioners’ perspective” rather than imposing an academic or “expert” point of view. President Paul Wolfowitz referred to the Shanghai Conference, on which the book is based, as one of the major accomplishments of his distinguished predecessor, Jim Wolfensohn. Sector Manager Egbe Osifo-Dawodu and Gift Manase co-authored the chapter on scaling-up responses in the Health Sector. For more info.

http://publications.worldbank.org/ecommerce/catalog/product?item_id=5054420

AFRICA (Sub Saharan) REGIONAL AND COUNTRY EVENTS

AfricaRegional Workshop on Human Resources and Health Sector Policies was held from October 17-21, 2005.  A workshop on Health Workforce Policies, targeting the 5 Portuguese-speaking countries of Africa (PALOPs), Angola, Cabo-Verde, Guiné Bissau, Moçambique, São Tomé e Príncipe, took place in Sandton (South Africa). This workshop served to help country teams review their Human resources for Health (HRH) policy options, and to identify areas of collaboration among the PALOPS in that area. This 5-day regional event was supported by the Joint Africa Institute, and by the WHO and the Government of Brazil. The 30 participants were officials from the health, education, planning and finance sectors. A post-workshop meeting of partners launched a discussion on a PALOPs capacity development program in support of HRH policies. Short-term next steps include 1) support to country teams to report back to country stakeholders, 2) the creation of a WEB-CT platform for access to tools and materials for policy development and for providing a space for discussion, and 3) a videoconference to take stock of reactions to country reports and discuss what support partners can offer. A CD containing all workshop materials and presentations, in Portuguese, is available on request. Contact person: Gilles Dussault  gdussault@worldbank.org

African Regional Industrial Organization Ministerial Consultation on HIV/AIDS programs held in Ethiopia, from October 24-28, 2005.   Only a few countries have taken advantage of flexibilities provided under the Trade-Related aspects of the Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) agreement for middle and low income countries in order to scale up treatment for people living with AIDS. During this workshop ministers, technical staff from Trade and Justice ministries and HIV/AIDS program staff reviewed the extent to which African countries have utilized Flexibilities to improve access to Antiretroviral drugs, identify bottlenecks and develop strategic plans to deal with the identified challenges. Results of the economic analysis of local production of Antiretroviral drugs in South Africa and Zimbabwe were presented at this conference. Forty six participants from 12 countries attended. Contact Person: Patrick Osewe posewe@worldbank.org

Videoconference Series on Knowledge Sharing on HIV/AIDS, from July-December, 2005. Countries are at different stages in their response to HIV/AIDS. Between July and December, six video conferences connecting countries in Africa were organized. The VC provided participants with an opportunity to share experiences and learn from each other what works and what does not in combating HIV/AIDS. Topics included: fighting stigma at the workplace, the role of indigenous knowledge in the management of HIV/AIDS cases, bridging the information gap on HIV/AIDS initiatives between global and local actors, the role of Faith Based Organizations (FBO) in the fight against HIV/AIDS, as well as technical issues such as economic and legal constraints to scaling up HIV/AIDS responses. Contact Person: Patrick Osewe posewe@worldbank.org

The second Achieving the Millennium Development Goals in Nigeria:  Poverty Reduction, HIV/AIDS, Reproductive Health and Socioeconomic Reforms was held in Abuja, Nigeria from November 27 to December 6, 2006. The purpose of the training was (i) to provide state-of-the-art knowledge and skills to participants for designing and delivering more efficient, equitable, and financially sustainable health interventions in the context of socioeconomic and health sector reforms in Nigeria and evolving international policies; (ii) to strengthen the skills of local trainers who will take over the facilitation of the course next year. The course was organized in collaboration with the Nigeria Network of Partners in Poverty Reduction, HIV/AIDS, Reproductive Health and Health Sector chaired by Intellfit African Training Centre and brought together 34 participants from 8 states. The activity was expressly requested by the sectorial ministry and financially supported by WBI, the Hewlett Foundation, and the WB Health Sector Projects. Highlight of the course were (i) Nigeria’s Health Sector Reform focusing on Legislation at the Federal Level and Decentralization process at the State level and (ii) the ongoing implementation of Nigeria’s National Insurance Scheme. Participants also identified concrete measures and steps under their control, which they will undertake to move the agenda of the MDGs forward in their state. Contact person: Dr. Folarin Olowu intellfitng@yahoo.com

Workshop on Integrating HIV/AIDS in Poverty Reduction Strategies (PRSPs) November 28 – December 3, 2005 in Johannesburg, South Africa. The purpose of the workshop was to strengthen the integration of HIV/AIDS in PRSPs. This workshop is a result of partnership between WBI, UNDP, and UNAIDS. People working on HIV/AIDS and PRSPs from selected African countries (Ethiopia, Ghana, Mali, Rwanda, Senegal, Tanzania, Zambia)  shared experiences on integrating HIV/AIDS in PRSPs, discussed macro-economic challenges on scaling up HIV/AIDS responses and prepared plans to deal with these challenges in the immediate future. Contact person:Tanya Ringland at Sringland@worldbank.org

ASIA COUNTRY EVENT

BangladeshCustomized Country Focus Flagship Courses.  As part of a capacity building initiative in Bangladesh, two free-standing face-to-face courses on Health Sector Reform and Sustainable Financing were delivered in August 2005.  Week one focused on Demand Side Financing and week two focused on Targeting Public Subsidies. In addition to participants from Bangladesh, we initiated a pilot initiative called "cross-fertilization". This pilot supported the participation of senior government officials from the region to attend the courses and share their experiences. This initiative was a resounding success and was appreciated by both the Bangladeshi and the foreign participants. There were four foreign participants in each course, in the first course two from Pakistan, one from Nepal and one from Sri Lanka, and in the second course one from Pakistan, one from Nepal and two from Sri Lanka.  We are thankful to the Canadian International Development Agency for their support in the course as well as the pilot. We are also thankful to the GOB for suggesting and helping to facilitate this initiative.  Contact Person: Tazim Mawji tmawji@worldbank.org

EUROPE AND CENTRAL ASIA REGIONAL EVENT

Flagship summer school on the Essentials of Health Sector Reform and Sustainable Financing. A 6-day course was offered in Budapest Hungary, August 28-September 2, 2005.  The course was based on modules on Analyzing Health Sector Performance, Financing Health Care and Purchasing of Health Services. Special attention was given to service delivery issues, reforms of the past ten years in Hungary, and experiences from the EU and OECD countries. Some sessions were delivered by experts from the WHO, which is now a full partner of the regional Flagship program. 51 participants from 18 countries attended the course.

Contact person: Tamás Evetovitis evetovits@emk.sote.hu

MIDDLE EAST AND NORTH AFRICA REGIONAL COUNTRY EVENT

Managing Procurement and Logistics of HIV/AIDS and Related Supplies: This workshop was held in Lebanon, Beirut July, 2005. It was organized in partnership with WHO and in collaboration with the Global Fund and UNICEF. The aim of the workshop was to 1) provide policy makers and program implementers with the knowledge required for them to better manage the supply and distribution of antiretroviral and related drugs as they plan to scale up AIDS treatment programs, 2) assist countries in developing procurement and supply management to access the Global Fund for acceleration of treatment initiatives. Fifty participants from Egypt, Iran, Lebanon, Jordan, Morocco and Yemen attended the workshop. The participants were policy makers, health professionals, HIV/AIDS program implementers and NGO representatives. Yemen’s application to the Global Fund was finalized and approved during this workshop. Contact Person: Patrick Osewe posewe@worldbank.org

 5. New publications of interest

Promoting Healthy Behavior Bulletin examines the pivotal role behavior plays in the leading causes of death and disability—and their prevention or mitigation. It describes the research-based frameworks behavioral scientists use to understand and influence health-related behaviors, and a variety of effective tools that health promotion programs use. In addition, by presenting a series of successful case histories and lessons learned, this Bulletin aspires to help public health and other professionals better integrate behavior change strategies into their programs and policies at every level.  The Bulletin notes not only the impact of individual actions such as unsafe sex, smoking, or failure to get one’s child immunized, but the equal importance of the following health-related behaviors: The decisions of policymakers that address or fail to address (or increase) the poverty of its citizens; adequate or unjustly small allocations by budget makers for preventative and curative health; the practices of health care staff who treat clients courteously or rudely; the implementation of effective or poorly designed health programs; and decisions by many outside the health sector such as providing safe water and hygiene or building and repairing roads.  Promoting Healthy Behavior, written by Professor Elaine Murphy of George Washington University School of Public Health, is one of a series of Population Reference Bureau Health Bulletins on state-of-the-art public health topics.  Along with many other useful publications on health and population, it can be accessed at www.prb.org. To order copies, write popref@prb.org.

The Frontiers in Reproductive Health Program (FRONTIERS) announces new publications on female genital cutting:

Methodological issues in measuring the impact of interventions against female genital cutting, anarticle by staff Ian Askew in Culture, Health & Sexuality

With increasing efforts being made to introduce systematic interventions for encouraging the abandonment of female genital cutting (FGC) comes the need to better understand how such interventions work and what effects they have. Many interventions are based on theoretical models of behavior change and so studies to evaluate them should develop indicators appropriate to the type of behavior change anticipated. A sustained change in the prevalence of FGC is the ultimate indicator. There are several ways this impact can be measured, although with many limitations given the intimate nature of the practice.

FRONTIERS is funded by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) and implemented by the Population Council in partnership with Family Health International. Their publications are available at: http://www.popcouncil.org/frontiers

6. To Subscribe or Unsubscribe to this newsletter

Please circulate this message to other interested persons and encourage them to subscribe:

Previous issues of the Newsletter can be accessed here

To unsubscribe send a blank email to
Leave-reprohealth-301365L@lists.worldbank.org

Thank you for your interest in the World Bank Institute’s Health and AIDS Program.