These mapping studies are a follow up to the report and recommendation number three [that countries
should develop effective governmental and non-governmental health resource partner institutions (HRPI)
to support the health system stewardship and governance functions of the ministry of health] of the study
on supporting ministerial leadership, “Strong Ministries for Strong Health Systems” (www.strongministries.
org). Interviews with Ministers of Health and other country-based and international health leaders strongly
pointed out the importance of organizations both within and outside of government that has the potential
to provide needed expertise and resources to ministries of health. The study report noted that every
the country needs to cultivate and grow a critical mass of individuals, groups, and institutions that interact
regularly among themselves and with their governments to demand accountability, as well as provide
support to their governments. These were collectively called Health Resource Partner Institutions (HRPIs),
and would include professional associations, national academies of medicine and science, universities,
freestanding think tanks, research, and development organizations, business, private sector, and NGOs, all
of which can work with ministries to create a culture of evidence-based policy and practice and hold each
other as well as their governments to account.
ACHEST received a grant from the Government of Norway through NORAD to implement Recommendation
3 cited above. The recommendation is about mapping out and studying national HRPIs so as to develop
a model for strong health governance and leadership using HRPIs. Five African countries, (Uganda, Mali,
Kenya, Malawi & Tanzania) were identified in a transparent way as appropriate and suitable for taking this
work forward. It was proposed that a Mapping study in these countries be undertaken. The purpose of these
studies was to identify and characterize HRPIs available in countries in order to provide the necessary
knowledge and understanding to involve them with the Ministry of Health (MoH) so as to advance health
system governance in sub-Saharan Africa in particular.