News Archive
Following the successful completion of two Ipact projects in South Asia two new reports have been published.
“Household Costs of Obtaining Maternal and Newborn Care in Rural Bangladesh: Baseline Study”
A new report published today is the outcome of a cross-sectional study of 1200 women of reproductive age who had a live birth in the previous year. The main objective of the study was to analyse the costs households in rural Bangladesh face for maternal and neonatal health services. The report has been prepared by the BRAC Centre (Bangladesh) and Ipact (University of Aberdeen.
South Asia:
A new Ipact publication has been published by the BJOG. (Abstact is available on-line) The aim of the paper is to share practices and ideas identified as part of an assessment of maternal mortality reduction programmes in five South Asian countries, Afghanistan, Bangladesh, India Nepal and Pakistan
Ipact publication appears in the Journal of International Perspectives on Sexual and Reproductive Health.
"Estimates of Health Care System Costs of Unsafe Abortion in Africa and Latin America"
Immpact and Ipact newsletter published
Immpact and Ipact have pooled resources and released a joint newsletter. Featured in this edition of EVIDENCEpress is a selection of current research projects, a list of key publications, available tools and resources and two new features including a section on knowledge exchange and an update on team news. Ipact News features updates on some recent evaluation work, news on M&E training (past and future) and sends out a call for short and long term consultants.
Rabat, Morocco will be the setting for the M&E training in January, 2010 at the Institute National d'Administration Sanitaire (Francophone). Ce cours international destiné aux pays en développement est organisé pour renforcer la capacité des «groupes pays» à suivre et à évaluer les programmes de santé maternelle et néonatale (SMN), et ce, en s’inscrivant dans le contexte d’objectifs globaux de santé génésique.
Dhaka, Bangladesh, James P Grant School of Public Health, BRAC University, will collaborate with Ipact to deliver the next M&E training course from 6th - 17th December, 2009.
Ipact awarded grant from Scottish Development International
Ipact has received a contribution from Scottish Development International towards the cost of a market visit to Tanzania. A series of briefings took place in Dar es Salaam and Arusha. Good contacts have been made and intelligence shared.
Ipact M&E training well received in Arusha
Teams working in Maternal and Neonatal Health representing eight countries, (Tanzania, Namibia, Kenya, South Africa, Uganda, Zimbabwe, Botswana and Zambia) attended the M&E training in Arusha in August. The training will be instrumental in helping them to track their progress towards MDG5. The country teams were able to identify weaknesses and issues in relation to their current road map and will now use the information learnt to incorporate into their 2010 work plans.
Particpants in Arusha 2009
Ipact paper published in International Journal
BMC International Health and Human rights have published an article based on the consultancy work Ipact researchers recently undertook in Ghana. The paper was the outcome of an annual review to provide a preliminary assessment of Ghana’s National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS).
Dr Sophie Witter, lead author of the paper, highlighted the considerable interest in exploring the potential of social health insurance to increase access to and affordability of health care in Africa.
The paper has also been sent to the US National library of Medicine for indexing in PubMed and for archiving in PubMed Centre. A full copy of the paper can be downloaded here.
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The British Council is recruiting a team leader to provide strategic direction for the Maternal and Newborn Health: Research and Advocacy Fund (MNH:RAF). The MNH:RAF is a five year national programme funded by DFID and AusAID. Ipact is part of the British Council consortium .Information about the role
Press Release - Tanzania Course
MS – Training CENTRE FOR Development cooperation in Arusha is to host An Innovative training Course for maternal and Neonatal health professionals
After receiving almost 70 applications from 15 developing countries a selection panel met recently to decide who should attend the Monitoring and Evaluation training at MS-Training Centre for Development Cooperation (MS-DCDC) in Arusha, Tanzania. Representatives from Ipact, University of Aberdeen, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) and UNFPA took part in the rigorous selection process which resulted in 30 participants from eight developing countries being selected. Botswana, South Africa, Uganda, Zambia, Namibia, Kenya, Zimbabwe and Tanzania will be represented in Arusha.
Four African countries were represented in Bobo Dioulasso at the recent Ipact M& E training course.
Representatives from four francophone African countries - Chad, Congo Brazzaville, Gabon and Burkina Faso - took part in the M&E training course in Bobo Dioulasso, Burkina Faso in early February. The training is supported by UNFPA and is part of a capacity-building initiative to train MNH programme managers in the theory and practice of monitoring and evaluation of maternal and neonatal health programmes. The course enhances participants' capacity to examine, evaluate and improve current practice in monitoring, to design and implement evaluations and to use results to advocate for improved maternal and neonatal health.
Vincent Fauveau, Senior Maternal Health Advisor with UNFPA was in attendance for part of the course to lead the session on achieving Millennium Development Goal #5. Krystyna Makowiecka, Ipact Course Director said "It has been wonderful to work with dedicated country-based teams. We want to maintain contact and we are setting up a support network to help us follow the teams' progress and offer appropriate help when it's needed.Ours is a practical course and we anticipate that it'll make a real difference in the approach to monitoring and evaluation. "
Immpact and Ipact mentioned in a recent survey report
The report authors stated that health related Millennium Development Goals will not be achieved without a "massive increase in the health related workforce in Africa" and called for an increase in health worker education and training. The report referred to the work of various UK based organisations involved in training initiatives throughout sub-Saharan Africa. Maternal and child health training was mentioned and reference was made to Immpact and Ipact within this context.
Tender for SIDA framework agreement successful
Ipact and lead company Indevelop-IPM, have been successful in their tender for a framework agreement which will involve being part of a network of experts who will be required to perform international health related assignments for the Swedish International Development agency (SIDA) on an ad hoc basis.
IPACT AND PARTNERS AWARDED DFID PROJECT
Ipact and consortium partners, the British Council, SSDirect and KZR Associates have been appointed by the UK Department for International Development (DFID) to manage Pakistan's Maternal and Newborn Health Research and Advocacy Fund (RAF) Programme, which is part of a wider £90 million Maternal and Neonatal and Child Health project planned to operate for five years.
DFID has directed £11.5 million for the maternal and newborn health research and advocacy activities. The goal of the RAF is to contribute to the achievement of the MDGs in Pakistan, initially in relation to maternal and newborn health, and will be used for research and for the development of advocacy strategies.
The research component will have two strands, firstly to support commissioned projects on topics related to MNH policy and practice and designed to support the outputs of the National Programme. The second strand will be more responsive, in order to encourage and support innovative ideas. The advocacy component of the RAF will support the work of civil society organisations and media in advocating, creating coalitions for change, raising awareness and building capacity in areas related to the successful implementation of the programme. |A delegation representing the consortium partners will meet shortly to discuss the assignment.
The purpose of DFID’s support to the Government of Pakistan is to improve access to services and promote healthy behaviour, especially for the poor and socially excluded population. The programme will focus mainly on Punjab and North West Frontier Province and is in line with DFID's global strategy on reducing maternal deaths and commitments on gender equality and social inclusion.
Ipact researchers visit BRAC
Representatives from Ipact visited Bangladesh for an inception meeting with BRAC ahead of a 5 year maternal, neonatal and child health programme starting shortly in Bangladesh
A team of researchers from Ipact will be working in partnership with BRAC on the large rural MNCH programme which is initially being implemented across four districts and will be scaled up to six more at a later date.
The goal of the project is to reduce maternal, neonatal and child health mortality and morbidity particularly among the poor and socially excluded population of Bangladesh. Ipact will play a participatory role in the monitoring and implementation of the programme and contribute to the capacity strengthening
Ipact has won a 12 month DFID project in Angola with consortium partners, Oxford Policy Management, (OPM).
The DFID project called for a number of Portuguese speaking consultants, who were asked to provide technical advice to the Ministry of Health in Angola.
Managing consultants, Ipact and OPM will assist the Ministry of Health to strengthen its planning and management resources within a framework of an EC programme of support to the health sector in Angola.
Ipact consultants are currently in Angola drawing up a project plan. The project is expected to run for one year, however, it may be extended to two years depending on need.
Ipact News - Issue No 1 February 08
Ipact News Issue No 2 October 2008
Following attendance at the M&E course in Morocco the 33 participants were presented with diplomas
Ipact lands Unicef's Maternal and Child Health project in Tajikstan
Ipact has recently been awarded a contract from UNICEF to support the Ministry of Health in Tajikistan in designing and conducting a household and facility based baseline survey on the impact of general benefit packages on maternal and child health services in relation to patient access equity of access and provider incentives.
Ipact's continuing work as a world leader in the field of safe motherhood programme assessment in developing countries, will be assisted by the running of training courses in related measurement techniques, based on the values on which the Ipact programme is based, of usefulness, excellence, enabling and integrity.
- A short course has been developed aimed principally at programme managers from developing countries.
- The course will be practical and programmatic, filling a niche left by existing, more academically-driven courses, and emphasizing a cross-sectional problem-based rather than a modular approach
