The Centre for Health Economics, Chulalongkorn University, Thailand [CHE] has these objectives.
As a WHO's Collaborating Centre for Health Economics, CHE has made some progress in accordance with the proposed strategy to strengthen health economics capability in the region. While these activities are substantially focused on the WHO's South East Asian Region, they go well beyond that geographical area in the process of forming wider international linkages. This activity should be seen against the need to also enhance capability within Thailand itself in accordance with the dual national and international role of the Centre.
Education and Training
The major educational activity of the Centre, namely the MSc in Health Economics course, is currently in its fifth year. This course has drawn applicants from many countries in Asia and Africa. A heartening recent change has been an increase in the numbers of Thai students selecting to undertake the international course in English, so that now there is a good balance between Thai and foreign participants. This has been encouraged by the Faculty of Economics introducing some partial scholarships for Thai students.
Formal coursework encompasses modules on Microeconomics for Health Applications, Macroeconomics for Health Applications, Statistics for Health Applications, Health Care Financing, Economic Evaluation, Health Planning, Organization and Management in the Health Sector, Research Methods.
Short courses in these areas also attract students interested in specific problems. Workshops have been carried out in several countries by invitation.
It is satisfying that a number of graduates form this course have been promoted to positions of influence in their countries where they can utilise their economics expertise in health planning. Hopefully, this development will facilitate international linkages, within Asia and between Asia and Africa. Some have gone on to pursue Ph.D. in this field or to carry out applied research projects in their home countries.
Some countries have initiated or are planning to establish their own educational training programmes, with support from various sources and involving CHE graduates in curriculum design and teaching in some cases. This is a positive step forward towards increasing national capability on a more sustainable basis. CHE has contributed directly thereto when requested, in order to contributing to strengthening capacity in developing countries.
Thus this core activity, supported by WHO and TDR, together with some help from other agencies, represents a solid achievement over a substantial time period. Now that a WHO supported course has commenced in South Africa and focused on the African region, it is hoped that useful cooperative research will eventuate in the good rapport already established between the two centres. It is important to note the sustained assistance in teaching that has been provided by key individuals from national agencies outside CHE and from agencies/institutions in a number of other countries, ensuring external perspectives in the programmes.
Collaboration with EDI/World Bank for participation in the Flagship training programme in Health Sector Reform has been initiated at the request of the Bank.
Research Directions
In addition to individual staff interests, a number of collaborative research projects have been undertaken. These include work related to broad issues; such as, social movements and economic transformation, scientific and technical manpower for economic growth, sustainability of economic growth in Thailand, economic cooperation among Mekong Basin countries, economics of social welfare project management. They include also work focused on specific health issues; such as, facets of health sector reform, health care financing, economic analysis of malaria diagnostic technology, social and economic impact of dengue hemorrhagic fever, cigarettes and excise tax, economics of screening for thalassemia.
These activities have been funded from various sources. The encouragement of SEARO in research development is especially acknowledged. An important achievement has been increasing collaboration with the Thai Health Systems Research Institute in matters relating to health policy analysis and planning. The limitations of isolated academic research are recognised, as is the constant need to focus on practical problems where health economic inputs can lead to action for resolution of immediate questions. Some advances have been made in this context but it is clear that further development in this direction is required.
International research collaboration encounters substantial logistic challenges; but it is critical that these be met. An important step in this direction is represented by a project proposal on health care reform developed between Thailand, Indonesia and Sri Lanka for which funding will be provided by WHO Geneva to commence in 1998.
Special Activities
The Centre has sponsored periodic forum lectures by local and visiting speakers. The wide range of subjects and of countries represented in the series reflects the growing reputation of the Centre internationally, which attracts a constant stream of visitors from around the world. This process ensures access to information from many sources and the exposure of staff and students to an unfettered spectrum of ideas in health economics and related fields.
The Centre has been involved in a number of initiatives concerning health sector reform nationally and regionally. These include issues related to health care financing, insurance, medical technology assessment, essential drug packages. These activities are seen as fundamental in bringing health economics expertise to bear on major health policy issues.
The Centre’s initiation of the first Asia Pacific Health Economics Forum to be held in Bangkok on 19-21 March 1998 to celebrate the 50th anniversary of WHO is another major step in the commitment to enhance regional capability in this field. The enthusiastic sponsorship by SEARO is central to this event. It is intended to provide a focal springboard for a number of subsequent activities, chief among which is the formation of an Asia Pacific Health Economics Network (APHEN). This network will serve as a mechanism for coordination of regional developments in the field and as a stimulus for evolution of collaborative and comparative research. It is planned the APHEN will be interfaced with other pertinent existing or planned networks, including the Asia Pacific Health Network on Health Policy/Systems Research and Development, the Asia Pacific National Health Accounts Network, and the International Association for Health Economics.
The Planned Activities, 1999-2001
Networking
National Reseach
International research
Contact Information
| Dr. Siripen Supakankunti |
| Executive Director |
| Centre for Health Economics, |
| Faculty of Economics,
Chulalongkorn University |
| Bangkok 10330 Thailand |
| Tel: (662) 218-6280-1 |
| Fax: (662) 218-6279, 251-3967
|
E-Mail:
[email protected]
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