Research

Social and financial barriers to health care are major challenges in accessing health care and achieving health equity. Research under this domain focuses on areas like health financing, health economics,social protection in health, health insurance and equity access to health care, equity etc. IPH is committed to promoting universal access to health care through generating evidence for interventions and policies that help achieve social protection for communities.

 

Financing health care for inclusion

 

Learn More Health Inc. Updates Health Inc. Newsletter

 

The research project Health Inc. (Financing health care for inclusion) puts forward the hypothesis that social exclusion is an important cause of the limited success of recent health financing reforms. In four countries/states (Ghana, Karnataka, Maharashtra and Senegal), Health Inc. will employ mixed methods to analyse whether different types of financing arrangements not only overcome social exclusion to successfully cover poorer population groups but, crucially, also increase social inclusion by empowering socially marginalised groups. A multi-sectoral stakeholder analysis will additionally explore whether vulnerable population groups participate in policy making and whether their needs are represented and understood.  Health Inc. will also identify and test policy recommendations.

 

Governance is thought to be a key determinant of the economic growth social advancement and overall development…. Governance of the health system is the least well understood aspect of the health systems. Savedoff (2011) defines governance as

Many other authors has commented on the governance gap in various countries. The situation in India is not well researched. To fill this gap in the complex jigsaw of our heath systems, IPH has undertaken an innovative study to look at governance and implementation of regulations in maternal health in Karnataka .

Hesvic

Health Systems Stweardship and Regulation in Vietnem, India and China

HESVIC aims to investigate regulation as it relates to wider governance of health systems in the area of maternal health in three countries, in order to support policy decisions in these countries and beyond. The health systems in Vietnam, India and China include a mix of public and private health care providers. The private sector has grown rapidly with implications for regulation and equitable access quality health services.

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Hesvic leafletHESVIC country report

Governance Publications

Enabling individuals to gain control over factors affecting their health has become more prominent with increasing burden of chronic diseases calling for health promoting systems, policies and empowered communities. Research under this domain focuses on areas like behaviour change,  health education, health advocacy, healthy promoting environments etc.

Tobacco control

In Karnataka, IPH is working in collaboration with Gramin Shikshan Charity Foundation to implement the project in five intervention and two control districts. Project aims to advocate for and build capacity of district level law enforcement officers and NGOs for effective tobacco control.

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IPH is committed to the improving and strengthening research on human resources for health. In addition to direct capacity-building interventions – strengthening district health management through capacity-building of district and taluka health managers in collaboration with Government of Karnataka , IPH also undertakes research on health workforce and ways and mechanisms for improving them.

Research of District Health Management

A study conducted by IPH in 2007 revealed that an important reason for poor health outcomes in India was the lack of management skills at the district level. Based on this study, IPH decided to train district level officers on public health management. To strengthen the technical inputs, IPH formed a consortium of five organisations, called Swasthya Karnataka (SK).

SK partnered with the Karnataka Health Systems Development and Reforms Project (KHSDRP) to build the capacity of the Tumkur District Health Officers.

Curriculum was developed keeping adult learning principles in mind using experiential learning techniques. Content focused on building knowledge and skills through practical application of the content to issues in the participant’s daily work routine.

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Availability of quality health care delivery systems remains a big challenge. Research under this domain focuses on areas like management of health services, health service organisation, quality of health care, health management information systems, role of community etc.  We work on research to identify gaps and evaluate ways to improve health care delivery at various levels in the health services.

Operational research on district health management

A study conducted by IPH in 2007 revealed that an important reason for poor health outcomes in India was the lack of management skills at the district level. Based on this study, IPH decided to train district level officers on public health management. To strengthen the technical inputs, IPH formed a consortium of five organisations, called Swasthya Karnataka (SK).

SK partnered with the Karnataka Health Systems Development and Reforms Project (KHSDRP) to build the capacity of the Tumkur District Health Officers.

Curriculum was developed keeping adult learning principles in mind using experiential learning techniques. Content focused on building knowledge and skills through practical application of the content to issues in the participant’s daily work routine.

Other research studies Project activities updates

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Action research on urban health

Given the rapid urbanisation and delay in the unrolling of the NUHM, much remains to be done in the area of urban health. Bengaluru with its rapidly expanded city precincts needs careful study and quick well planned interventions. With this background, IPH is carrying out an action research project in ward number 30, KG Halli, Bengaluru. Here the IPH team will work towards improving the quality of health care provided to the community of roughly 42,000 people, with a small part of notified slum in it.

The Urban Health Project in Bengaluru was envisaged as an intervention based creation of a model for public health in a large and expanding city, focusing on the needs of the poor. Initially planned as an exercise in co-ordination with other NGOs, it has moved to focusing primarily on a “field area” –KG Halli where direct intervention by IPH staff is taking place.

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