Overview of the HISP Network Nigeria Dominican Republic

Overview of the HISP Network Nigeria Dominican Republic Zambia India Cuba Angola South Africa Ghana Mongolia Norway Ethiopia Malawi Mozambique Tanzania

District Health Information Systems Topic 2: The health district and the district health system Humberto Muquingue MED-INF 5200 April 2007

Learning outcomes • Provide a standardized definition of health district and district health system • Explain the advantages presented by the concept of health district, with emphasis on information and the roles of the District Health Management Team (DHMT) • Describe the tasks performed in a health district setting • Explore the adequate characteristics of a health district • Justify the current focus on district health systems

What is a health district ? . . . It is the point of the national health system where people can get comprehensive health care. . . It is a clearly defined geographical/administrative area. . . It is the implementation spot for primary health care (Alma Ata, 1978). . . It is the optimal operation unit for the identification of the excluded from health care and for the implementation of health improving strategies (Harare, 1987)

PRIMARY Patient/Client contact First level care unit SECONDARY Referred patients District Hospital TERTIARY Referred patients Regional Hospital Referred patients National Hospital University Hospital Routine Health Information System INDIVIDUAL HEALTH UNIT CARE MANANAGEMENT MANAGEMEET Community Level District Health Management Team Regional Health Management Team Ministry of Health Universities Other Health Institutions SYSTEM MANAGEMENT HEALTH CARE SERVICES HEALTH SERVICES SYSTEM HEALTH SYSTEM NON-ROUTINE DATA COLLECTION METHODS HEALTH CARE LEVEL CATCHMENT AREA POPULATION DISTRICT LEVEL REGIONAL LEVEL NATIONAL LEVEL OTHER SECTORS: -Environment -Civil Administration -Transport -Education

What are the characteristics of a health district ? Clearly delineated geographical area Population between 30, 000 and 500, 000 (most cases) Identifiable form of local government Managed by few officers Balance between population size and availablity of technical specialised staff

What advantages presents the health district ? 1/2 . . . It is close enough to the community to understand act on its problems and constraints. . . It has easier communication with the community to ensure its participation in planning and organization. . . It is the most appropriate level for coordinating top-down and bottom-up planning

What advantages presents the health district ? 2/2. . . It is the most suitable place to provide support to health workers in the health posts and health centres. . . It presents large potential for effective collaboration with other sectors towards the health of the community. . . It has the ability to handle decentralisation of resources and of decision-making

What are the tasks of the health district ? 1/2 . . . Implementation of all community based health programmes. . . Supervision and control of all community health workers in the district. . . Organization and operation of district hospital services. . . Management of all other public health facilities. . . Coordination and supervision of all public, nongovernment and private health systems

What are the tasks of the health district ? 2/2 . . . Promotion of active links with local government entities. . . Promotion of community participation in the local health service planning. . . Preparation of annual health plan. . . Raising additional local funds. . . In-service training of health workers. . . Collection, compilation and dissemination of routine health information

What is the experience of districts in your country ? Exercise 1: YOU are asked to (individually): - Fill up a table characterising your “district” in the country you originally came from. Please indicate, local name for “district”, geographic size, population density, approx ratios health professionals/inhabitant. - Shortly describe your experience of living in a health district (their functions, responsibilities, involvement, etc) in your respective countries.

The PHC Approach • …is a conceptual model for health care planning and health systems development

Primary Health Care (PHC) should (Alma-Ata, 1978). . 1. respect the needs and lifestyles of the target population, 2. be an integral part of the national health system, 3. include other health related sectors, 4. involve the communities in planning, decision making and realization, 5. rely on local resources and be cost-effective, 6. integrate and coordinate preventive, curative, rehabilitative and promotive measures, 7. take place near the targeted level.

Why size matters ?

If the health districts are too small. . . 1/2 . . greater number of health districts, then. . . à more management structures and systems à cohesion and co-ordination more difficult at a national or provincial level à it will cost more and fail to capture economies of scale

If the health districts are too small. . . 2/2 à district hospitals will be managed as separate entities from the rest of primary level health care à could create a further dislocation between primary level services and district hospital services (many health districts without a district hospital)

If the health districts are too large. . . à district-level management can become unwieldy and bureaucratic à the DHS loses its “service delivery" functions àThe DHS becomes too remote from the community.

The required balance Population size Geographic size Technical autonomy Comprehensive services Community involvement

What is a DHS ? (WHO, 1987) 1/3 . . . more or less self-contained segment of the national health system. . . it comprises first and foremost a well-defined population. . . within a clearly delineated administrative and geographical area. . . it includes all the relevant health care activities in the area, whether governmental or otherwise.

What is a DHS? (WHO, 1987) 2/3 . . . it will be most effective if coordinated by an appropriately trained health officer. . . to ensure as comprehensive a range as possible of promotive, preventive, curative and rehabilitative health activities

What is a DHS ? (WHO, 1987) 3/3 . . . ideally contains a network of primary health units and a district hospital for referral of cases. . . it is the point and level at which different health service activities are integrated into a comprehensive and holistic approach to health care. . . it is able to accept the transfer of responsibility, resources, authority and seniority from central levels of management to the periphery

Why the focus on DHS ? 1/3. . . too much emphasis on curative services. . . little attention to preventive and promotive areas. . . weak assessment of the health status of the population. . . data gathering is low priority, unreliable and routinely performed, it strongly affects the information circulation in the health system. . . frail coordination with other sectors: water, sanitation, agriculture, housing, roads and transportation. . . lack of skills. . . growing pressure for health reform and decentralisation

Why the focus on DHS ? 2/3 . . . the many responsibilities of the district health team. . . the need to carefully allocate the scarce resources. . . the necessity of sound health management obvious need for adequate information BUT the main constraint for implementing the primary health care approach in practically all countries: . . . inadequate information for the managerial processes !

Why the focus on DHS ? 3/3 The district information system has yet to make available. . . • . . . the right information and the right knowledge • . . . to the right persons and institutions • . . . in the right form • . . . at the right time • . . . in the right place

The implications of a DHS 1/3 The DHS can only be a functioning entity if the following assumptions are met.

The implications of a DHS 2/3 DHS is a means to an end, rather than an end in itself . . . the "means" to achieve the "end" of an equitable, efficient and effective health system based on the principles of the Primary Health Care (PHC) approach DHS is more than just a structure or form of organisation . . . it is also the manifestation of a set of activities: community involvement, integrated and holistic health care delivery, inter-sectoral collaboration and a strong "bottom-up" approach to planning, policy development and management

The implications of a DHS 3/3 the PHC approach and the DHS model apply to the whole of the health system and at all levels of health care delivery . . . the health district and its management structure should be the core building block of the entire heath system, . . . DHS should be the underlying framework for the organisation of health care as a whole the essence of the DHS is the organisation of health care according to geographic sub-divisions of a country which are managed through a decentralised management structure

Theory vs practice theory of the DHS is straightforward. . . but its implementation is much more complex. . . there are different interpretations of what is adequate: size roles and relationship Health district - local government National - provincial - district levels District hospital

Health District versus District Health System • Health District = geographical/administrative area • District Health System = a segment of the national health system with a complex set of actors interacting in a health district

Additional Literature David Mc. Coy, Beth Engelbrecht, Establishing the district health system, in Health Systems Trust (eds) South African Health Review 1999 Uwe Washer (1991) Construction of an Adapted Health Information System, http: //www. wahser. de/uwe/DIPLOM/dip 12. htm WHO (1987). "Eighth General Programme of Work Covering the Period 1990 -1995". "Health for All" Series 10. Geneva: World Health Organization WHO (1988) The challenge of implementation: district health systems for primary health care, WHO/SHS/88. 1/rev. 1