Page 103 - SAMRC Annual Report 2023-24

PERFORMANCE INFORMATION

Health Services to
Systems Research Unit

Unit director:
Prof. Helen Schneider

Prioritising responsive research Equitable capacity development
through impactful interventions for empowering communities

The aim of unit is to research, and build capacity to The Gender Transformation for Africa (GT4A)
research, the contexts, mechanisms and processes Collaborative, is an African-led partnership aiming
through which initiatives to improve the accessibility, to advance contextually informed research and
quality and equity of health services become policy translation on gender transformation for
integrated into the everyday practices of the routine sexual, reproductive and maternal health (SRMH)
institutional environment ("real-world" settings), across the continent. This Collaborative comprises
and achieve sustainable coverage and impacts at 14 partners from 6 implementation research projects
scale, on the other hand. In the reporting period, the working in Gambia, Ghana, Niger, Burkina Faso,
Health Services to Systems Research Unit undertook Nigeria, Malawi and South Africa, funded by the
projects in the following areas: International Development Research Centre (IDRC).
Ten (10) webinars co-convened as part of GT4A
(1) Health System Strengthening: Projects (i) and the African Community of Practice on Gender
Improving quality and outcomes through district and Health Collaboration with NACOSA and Hope
health systems: Limpopo, Mpumalanga, Eastern
Cape (ii) Health system development in the Africa in supporting a learning partnership on
Western Cape since 2015: evaluation of the gender transformative approaches with large-scale
HC2030 strategy (iii) Sub-district leadership and adolescent health programmes.
management for health system strengthening: Science for creating a
Bojanala district, North-West province. healthier society
(2) Governance of health systems and for health:
Projects (i) Collaborative governance during In addition to the above, in 2023, we led the
public health emergencies: the case of Ebola in establishment of a new national knowledge network,
Uganda (ii) A policy-based structure for a health the South African Learning Alliance for the District
benefits package in SA. Health System, bringing together researchers
(3) Community Health Systems. Projects (i) Capacities and national and provincial decision-makers; and
of EMS for collective action and collaboration with generated and disseminated a variety of knowledge
communities in the Western Cape (ii) Life-sustaining products (scientific publications, webinars, and
responses and everyday care work during the HIV/ organised conference sessions).
AIDS and Covid-19 crises in Cape Town. In celebration of 30 years of
(4) Gender and health systems, Projects (i)
Partnerships for gender transformative co- democracy in South Africa
design in Global Fund programming (WC) (ii) In the face of the enormous governance and other
Implementation of Global Fund human rights challenges currently facing the health system
mandate in a homophobic policy environment in South Africa, we have to recognise the many
(Zambia) (iii) Global Financing Facility policy people – providers, managers, and citizens – who
processes and country RMNCH plans (Uganda, embrace public value and continue to make a
Burkina Faso, Mozambique, Tanzania) (iv) Gender difference. We have a responsibility to generate
integration into large scale government programs meaningful knowledge to enhance their capabilities
in a sustained manner (Niger, Ethiopia). in navigating complex realities.

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