Transcript Slide 1

USE OF REGIONAL NETWORKS FOR
POLICY INFLUENCE: THE HIS
KNOWLEDGE HUB EXPERIENCE
4th Technical Review and Planning Meeting
Health Policy and Health Finance Knowledge Hub,
10th-11th October 2011
Melbourne
Audrey Aumua and Maxine Whittaker
Health Information Systems Knowledge Hub
Order of Presentation
• The Development of Regional Networks
• Case Study : PHIN
• Lessons for Engagement
• Opportunities for Policy Engagement and
Policy Dialogue
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What is PHIN?
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Community of practice
• A domain of knowledge, a notion of community
and a practice (Wenger et. al 2004 pp 27 - 29).
• Domain : of knowledge creates common ground,
inspires members to participate, guides their
learning and gives meaning to their actions.
• Community : creates the social fabric for that
learning. A strong community fosters interactions
and encourages a willingness to share ideas.
• Practice : the specific focus around which the
community develops, shares and maintains its
core of knowledge.
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How Does PHIN Work With
Partners and in the Region?
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How Does PHIN Work:
In Countries
• PHIN reps in country advocate for HIS
improvements (HIS days) (training)
• PHIN plan guides HIS investments for
governments
• Donors and technical partners use
PHIN plan to guide investments
• Support data to policy practice for
decision makers
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How Does PHIN Work:
With Partners?
• Well defined plan developed by country partners
• Implementation plan guides joint activities eg.
• Data dictionary development
• Data improvement and analysis activities
• Capacity development
• Training and workshops
• Fellowships
• Partnering in other activities
• Pacific Vital Statistics Improvement Plan
• Providing Technical support and solutions through
community of practice
• Sharing of tools
• Advocacy activities
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Key Partners at Present
• Country HIS units
• Regional institutions/Groups
• AIHW
• HIS Hub
• Health Information Management Australian Association
HIMAA
• Regional Academic institutions
• PHIN has noted the importance of linking academic
institutions to the building of capacity of HIS in countries
• Fiji National University
• SPH @ University of Queensland
• Development partners
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WHO – WPRO and WHO Subregional Office Fiji
SPC
UNFPA
UNICEF
ESCAP
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Lessons for Engagement
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Principles
• Country owned network
• Locally driven, or bottom-up, meaning from
the region itself where the need for better
co-operation and co-ordination of activities
is recognised
• Developed itself – requested support to
strengthen
• Support to operational activities:
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Meetings
Secretariat
Facilitation of Strategic plan development
Advocacy for the Network
Transitioning of support
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Important : Remember Vital Aspects of
Successful Networks and Partnerships
• Hard work
• Application of thought
• Commitment to principles of support to PHIN
strategic plan
• Effort to maintain and build communication channels
• Purpose: Share the purpose of PHIN to create,
grow, use, assist and enable HIS professionals
in the region
• Ownership: Pacific network - with a jointly
developed plan. Bottom-up NOT externally or
incentive driven
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Joining the network
• New tasks may come onto the agenda that call
for the involvement of additional key actors
(“voluntary admission”)
• In some cases organisations outside the
partnership may decide that co-operation is now
advantageous (“requested admission”).
•
Admission mechanisms have to be in place,
which will change the network configuration and
make the direction of work harder to predict.
• Care that admission of others enhances not
hinders the future execution of the work
programme.
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When joining the network:
• Structures help. The partners’ primary interest is the
work of the partnership and not its own organisation.
• As more tasks are assigned to the new entity, important
to have an agreed management structure
• Unit independent of one single partner and stabilises
the work of the partnership.
• Commitment to joint resourcing which can be seen
as a key step forward in the establishment of a
partnership as a medium- and long-term
organisation.
• Partnerships set common targets to which they are
answerable with agreed on monitoring and
evaluation framework
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Successful partnership for policy and
practice
• A partnership is an agreement to do
something together that will benefit all
involved, bringing results that could not be
achieved by a single partner operating
alone, and reducing duplication of efforts.
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A successful partnership
Partners share a strategic vision, pursue
compatible targets, and are all equal members in
a predetermined organisational structure
Strong commitment from each partner. All partner
organisations are equally present and, where
possible, represented by experienced persons
who have influence within their organisation
There is a strong sense of ownership.
Added value of the partnership to each partner is
recognised
Equal opportunities within the partnership are
secured (partnerships will not necessarily succeed
if one or a small number of the partners are
perceived as dominant).
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A successful partnership
 A “learning culture” is fostered, i.e. one where all
partners are able to learn from one another by
allowing new ideas to come forward in an open
exchange of experiences.
 Resources, knowledge, know-how and ideas are
shared
Enhances the impact and effectiveness of action
through combined and more efficient use of
resources;
Agreements are based on identifiable
responsibilities, joint rights and obligations
Promotes innovation;
Co-operation is collaborative;
 Rules of conduct are adhered to by the partners
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OPPORTUNITIES FOR POLICY
ENGAGEMENT AND POLICY
DIALOGUE
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Why PHIN may be a Channel for Policy
Engagement and Dialogue
1) Context : Relevance to HIS and its link to HSS
2) Linkage to the Community and its strategic plan,
challenges and "corporate" knowledge.
3) Interact with others to exchange information
and develop professional or social contacts in
relevant areas: eg. Advocacy, policy, linked
information systems to say HR, financing,
Minimum indicators
4) Creating and maintaining good lines of
communications in all directions
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Opportunities for Policy Engagement
and Policy Dialogue
• Shared interest in and need for strong HIS for
work eg. Health financing, Health policy
• Commitment to country leadership and
ownership
• Support in building capacity in and understanding
of the policy process and of policy tools (all
partners to learn)
• Advocacy
• PHIN members are “insiders” in the Pacific
Ministries of Health
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Thank you
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