The role of National Immunization Technical Advisory Groups (NITAG) in strengthening health system governance: Lessons from three middle-income countries—Argentina,Jordan, and South Africa (2017–2018)

IntroductionToward the Global Vaccine Action Plan 2020 goal, almost 90% of countries have established a National Immunization Technical Advisory Group (NITAG). However, little is known about NITAG's contributions to governance.MethodsIn 2017–2018, a two-step, qualitative retrospective study was conducted. Jordan (JO), Argentina (AR), and South Africa (SA) were selected owing to government-financed NITAGs from middle-income countries (MICs), geographic diversity, and a vaccine introduction with NITAG support. Country case studies were developed, collecting data through desk review and face-to-face key informant interviews (KIIs) from Ministry of Health (MoH) and NITAG. Case studies were analyzed together, to assess governance applying the European Observatory on Health Systems and Policies framework focusing on transparency, accountability, participation, integrity, and policy capacity (TAPIC).ResultsDocument review and 53 KII (22 AR, 20 SA, 11 JO) showed NITAGs played a pivotal role as advisors promoting a culture of evidence-informed policies. NITAGs strengthened governance, although practices varied among countries. Meetings were conducted behind-closed-doors, participation restricted to members, only in one country agendas, and recommendations were public (AR). To increase participation, policy capacity, and transparency, countries considered adding experts in communications, advocacy, and economics. AR and SA contemplated including community members. NITAGs functioned autonomously from the government, with no established internal or external monitoring or supervision. NITAG meeting minutes allowed the review of integrity, adherence to terms of reference, standard operating procedures, and conflict of interest (CoI). For the most part, NITAGs abided by their mandates. Significant issues were related to the level of MoH support and oversight of CoI declaration and documentation.ConclusionsSystematically implementing governance approaches could improve processes, better tailor policies, and implementation. The long-term survival and resilience of NITAGs in these countries showed they play a significant role in strengthening governance. Lessons learned could be useful to those promoting country-driven evidence-informed decision-making.     

Hacia el buen gobierno por la salud: incorporación de la diversidad de percepciones en salud urbana

ObjectiveTo analyse the similarities and differences in the discourse surrounding the conceptualisation of health and the perceived health assets and needs in the neighborhoods and city of Bilbao in a participatory process.MethodParticipatory workshops were held with professionals, neighbors and associated citizens. The differences in perceptions of the three content blocks were analysed on the basis of the health model referred, as well as the typologies —of a more individual or structural nature— of identified health needs and assets.ResultsThe conceptualisation of health from a biopsychosocial perspective was clearer among professionals, although both profiles pointed to the importance of its social determinants. The formulation of needs and assets in health by the neighbors was made from the impact on their daily life and from a position of users with respect to a service provider administration. Among the associated citizens and professionals, intermediate and structural determinants were more frequently mentioned, as well as issues related to the administration's scope of action.ConclusionsThe inclusion of the multiplicity and diversity of perceptions in planning is key to good local government for health. To address their contradictions, a commitment by governments to effectively incorporate citizen participation is needed.     

Understanding vaccine hesitancy in polio eradication in northern Nigeria

BackgroundVaccine hesitancy constitutes a major threat to the Global Polio Eradication Initiative (GPEI), and to further expansion of routine immunisation. Understanding hesitancy, leading in some cases to refusal, is vital to the success of GPEI. Re-emergence of circulating wild poliovirus in northern Nigeria in mid-2016, after 24 months polio-free, gives urgency to this. But it is equally important to protect and sustain the global gains available through routine immunisation in a time of rising scepticism and potential rejection of specific vaccines or immunisation more generally.Methods and findingsThis study is based on a purposive sampling survey of 1653 households in high- and low-performing rural, semiurban and urban areas of three high-risk states of northern Nigeria in 2013–14 (Sokoto, Kano and Bauchi). The survey sought to understand factors at household and community level associated with propensity to refuse polio vaccine.Wealth, female education and knowledge of vaccines were associated with lower propensity to refuse oral polio vaccine (OPV) among rural households. But higher risk of refusal among wealthier, more literate urban household rendered these findings ambiguous. Ethnic and religious identity did not appear to be associated with risk of OPV refusal.Risk of vaccine refusal was highly clustered among households within a small sub-group of sampled settlements. Contrary to expectations, households in these settlements reported higher levels of expectation of government as service provider, but at the same time lesser confidence in the efficacy of their relations with government.ConclusionsResults suggest that strategies to address the micro-political dimension of vaccination – expanding community-level engagement, strengthening the role of local government in public health, and enhancing public participation of women – should be effective in reducing non-compliance, as an important set of strategies complementary to conventional didactic/educational approaches and working through religious and traditional ‘influencers’.     

The promises and perils of hospital autonomy: Reform by decree in Viet Nam

This article investigates impacts of hospital autonomization in Viet Nam employing a “decision-space” framework that examines how hospitals have used their increased discretion and to what effect. Analysis suggests autonomization is associated with increased revenue, increasing staff pay, and greater investment in infrastructure and equipment. But autonomization is also associated with more costly and intensive treatment methods of uncertain contribution to the Vietnamese government's stated goal of quality healthcare for all. Impacts of autonomization in district hospitals are less striking. Despite certain limitations, the analysis generates key insights into early stages of hospital autonomization in Viet Nam.     

Leadership by collaboration: Nursing's bold new vision for academic-practice partnerships

In 2016 the American Association of Colleges of Nursing issued a report, Advancing Healthcare Transformation: A New Era for Academic Nursing that included recommendations for more fully integrating nursing education, research, and practice. The report calls for a paradigm shift in how nursing leaders in academia and practice work together and with other leaders in higher education and clinical practice. Only by doing so can we realize the full benefits of academic nursing in this new era in which integration and collaboration are essential to success. In this paper we: 1) examine how academic nursing can contribute to healthcare innovation across environments; 2) explore leadership skills for deans of nursing to advance the goals of academic nursing in collaboration with clinical nursing partners, other health professions and clinical service leaders, academic administrators, and community members; and, 3) consider how governance structures and policy initiatives can advance this work.     

医师多点执业规制的国际经验及启示

医师多点执业在各地广泛试点,也引起来了社会各界的关注。本文综述了近年来国内外对于医师多点执业的研究及管理办法,发现规制路径主要有完全禁止、直接限制、反向激励、行业自制和完全放开等;而规制手段则有经济手段、法律手段和放权等。经比较,认为医师多点执业具备能增加患者就医便捷度等正面效应,也会带来影响公立医院服务供给等负面效应,各类规制手段也都有前提条件。在我国应承认医师多点执业的积极效应,在综合评估各地执行条件的基础上,因地制宜地组合利用规制手段进行合理管理。     

保障常用低价药品供应:基于治理工具角度的分析

有效保障常用低价药品的供应,对于保障公众健康、维护社会公平以及顺利推进新医改都具有非常重要的意义。本文从公共治理理论中的治理工具分析角度出发,重点分析如何结合和优化多样化的政策工具的使用来综合确定常用低价药品的工具,即应用＂志愿—强制—混合＂治理工具分析框架,从志愿性（家庭与社区、志愿者、市场）、强制性（政府命令—控制型监管、成立公共企业、直接提供）和混合性治理工具（信息披露与规劝、补贴、产权拍卖、税收与使用者付费）等多个角度对保障常用低价药品的供给提出对策,最后提出了巧用价格杠杆、完善采购办法、建设药价信息披露机制以及确立政府补贴与产业政策战略四方面的具体政策建议,以此完善最近出台的相关最新政策内容,从而确立我国保障常用低价药品供应的总体战略。     

卫生资源优先次序分配的政府治理研究——国际研究述评及对我国的启示

卫生资源优先次序分配作为政府有效治理的重要领域,在我国仍缺乏类似层面的综合思考。西方在该领域的研究趋势已从单纯的经济学思考走向了政治经济学、制度约束、卫生筹资的全面分析,并在更宏大的组织和政治情境中,考量政府的治理范围、手段,建构操作性强的优先次序分配框架。在卫生决策实践中,找寻跨学科工具的最佳组合考验着决策者的治理水平。本文梳理政治学、卫生经济学、哲学、法学、循证医学等不同学科对卫生资源优先次序分配的思考。最后明确政府卫生资源治理的层次、治理策略建议,强调卫生决策从＂作为结构的治理＂走向＂作为过程的治理＂的发展规律因应我国所面临的挑战。     

Peer,professional, and public: An analysis of the drugs policy advocacy community in Europe

BackgroundIn recent decades a range of advocacy organisations have emerged on the drugs policy landscape seeking to shape the development of policy at national and international levels. This development has been facilitated by the expansion of ‘democratic spaces’ for civil society participation in governance fora at national and supranational level. However, little is known about these policy actors – their aims, scope, organisational structure, or the purpose of their engagement.MethodsDrug policy advocacy organisations were defined as organisations with a clearly stated aim to influence policy and which were based in Europe. Data on these organisations was collected through a systematic tri-lingual (English, French and Spanish) Internet search, supplemented by information provided by national agencies in the 28 EU member states, Norway and Turkey. In order to differentiate between the diverse range of activities, strategies and standpoints of these groups, information from the websites was used to categorise the organisations by their scope of operation, advocacy tools and policy constituencies; and by three key typologies – the type of advocacy they engaged in, their organisational type, and their advocacy objectives and orientation.ResultsThe study identified over two hundred EU-based advocacy organisations (N = 218) which included civil society associations, NGOs, and large-scale alliances and coalitions, operating at local, national and European levels. Three forms of advocacy emerged from the data analysis – peer, professional and public policy. These groups focused their campaigns on practice development (harm reduction or abstinence) and legislative reform (reducing or strengthening drug controls).ConclusionThe findings from this study provide a nuanced profile of civil society advocacy as a policy community in the drugs field; their legitimacy to represent cases, causes, social values and ideals; and their focus on both insider and outsider strategies to achieve their goals. The level of convergence and divergence in Europe in relation to policy positions on service provision ethos and drug control regulation is indicated.