HSAN: Voices from the Field Stress Strong Health Systems to Achieve Results GHC Satellite Meeting May 29, 2007
HSAN held a satellite meeting at the 34th Annual International Conference on Global Health in Washington, DC that focused on health systems strengthening needs from the perspective of developing country practitioners.
HSAN panelists were: Frank Nyonator (from Africa Region), Irene Agurto (from Latin America and Caribbean Region), Mushtaque R. Chowdhury (South East Asia) and George Khechinashvili (Eastern Europe and Central Asia). The moderator was Laurie Garrett, Senior Fellow for Global Health at the Council on Foreign Relations.
Using stories and examples, the panelists stressed the need for global health initiatives to consider local realities, priorities and epidemiology. Examples included a governmental donor coordination office in Ghana, and Ethiopia, Botswana and Mozambique; more attention to the non-communicable diseases epidemic in Eastern Europe and Central Asia, supporting the workforce development in Guyana, and the integration of the MOH and family planning program in Bangladesh as an attempt to overcome the limitations of a single vertical program.
The panelists also described specific examples of successful or less successful attempts in their countries to reach the poor. For example, The Conditional Cash Transfers (CCT) experience in the LAC region was described as a way to foster demand from the poor. The Government of Georgia plans to direct almost all public resources for health to the health needs of most vulnerable and poor population group, identified by predefined methodology. And Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Malawi, Ghana, Liberia, Sierra Leone are focusing on the rolling out of the community level service provision. 
The session was attended by over 200 people, who, after an initial Q&A session between the panelists and Laurie Garrett, had to opportunity to pose questions directly. The overall session raised interest among the audience and a list of potential new members for HSAN was compiled.
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