Health Policy Research Unit

Additional information

Location
The Centre for Health Policy (CHP) is located at the Physical Education Building, Counseling and Career Development Unit on the west campus in Braamfontein, Johannesburg.

Staffing
As of November 2009, there are 10 researchers and 4 support staff associated with CHP. In alphabetical order they are:

• Duane Blaauw ; Prudence Ditlopo; Ermin Erasmus; Jane Goudge (CHP Director); Bronwyn Harris; Pascalia Munyewende; Bulelwa Ngoma; Busi Ngoyi; Nonhlanhla Nxumalo; Loveday Penn-Kekana; Laetitia Rispel and Liz Thomas. 

Research collaboration and networking
National, regional and international collaborations play a vital role in CHP’s work.  Within South Africa we have collaborated with the universities of Cape Town and the Free State, and the Health Systems Trust. On a regional level, CHP participates in EQUINET, the regional network on equity in health in Eastern and Southern Africa, HEPNet, the Health Economics and Policy Network in Africa and KEMRI, the Kenyan Institute of Medical Research. Our international partners have included the University of Paris North, France, Queen Margaret College, Edinburgh, Scotland, Mc Master University, Canada, and most notably, The London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine LSHTM.

Research translation
Conducting policy research requires us to think not only about how our findings are disseminated but also used. In order to disseminate and promote use of our research findings, CHP has been involved in a variety of activities, for example, we have prepared a set of practice guidelines on Working With Private Providers On The Control Of Sexually Transmitted Infections and another on Promoting Health in Trade Agreements. In recent years, CHP, has organised a range of national dissemination workshops and presentations, on topics such as: the health system challenges to the roll out of anti-retroviral therapy, with the Wits School of Public Health and Peri-natal Health Research Unit; HIV/AIDS in the workplace, with colleagues from other Wits faculties; factors that impacted on staff leaving public health facilities including HIV/AIDS, jointly with researchers from Boston University; a seminar for national Department of Health officials on our work on health systems software. 

CHP staff have participated in various national policy processes. For example, they have participated in Government committees: (the Essential National Research committee; and the Management Committee of the Working Group on Policy and Planning of the National Health Consultative Forum (NHCF); acted as observers to the national government task team that conducted the accreditation of sites to implement the comprehensive HIV and AIDS programme; initiated a surveillance system for the Gauteng provincial department of health to assess the impacts of HIV/AIDS on the health system; developed policy guidelines on Public-Private Interactions and sexual assault; participated in the drafting of the national AIDS strategic plan and supporting work commissioned by the Department of Social Welfare and Development to consider policy options around providing social security benefits to people with chronic diseases; participated in dialogues convened by the Nelson Mandela Children’s Foundation, on delivering anti-retroviral treatment in resource limited settings and on the National HIVS/AIDS strategic plan.

CHP has provided support for non-government activities through its membership of the boards/steering committees of various local, regional and international organisations, and through organising and co-hosting a variety of regional and international workshops and meetings.  Recently CHP acted as coordinator of the Knowledge Network on Health Systems for the WHO’s Commission on the Social Determinants of Health.