Undergraduate Course: Health Systems: Strengthening and Reform (SCPL10030)
Course Outline
| School | School of Social and Political Science |
College | College of Humanities and Social Science |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 10 (Year 3 Undergraduate) |
Availability | Available to all students |
| SCQF Credits | 20 |
ECTS Credits | 10 |
| Summary | This course examines health systems strengthening and reform initiatives in developed and developing countries, providing the knowledge and skills required to evaluate health sector policies with respect to their consequences for system goals such as equity, efficiency and quality. |
| Course description |
1.Global trends in health systems reform
2.Fiscal consolidation, structural adjustment and health expenditure
3.Financial protection and equitable access: China¿s Universal Health Care Plan
4.Global Health Initiatives, vertical programmes and health systems strengthening
5.Innovative financing mechanism: what works?
6.Strengthening primary health care: Family Health in Brazil
7.Reform in collection and pooling: the US Affordable Care Act
8.Privatisation and competition in health services
9.Contracting for health care in low- and middle-income countries
10.Public private partnerships for health care infrastructure and services
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | None |
Information for Visiting Students
| Pre-requisites | Visiting students should have at least 3 Social Policy or closely related courses at grade B or above (or be predicted to obtain this). We will only consider University/College level courses. |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2014/15, Available to all students (SV1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Semester 2 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
200
(
Lecture Hours 10,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 10,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 4,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
176 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Assessment will be based on two components:
1) Input to online discussion fora. Students to submit a portfolio of contributions to course discussions, comprising three short written reflections on readings and three examples of engagement in online discussions (30%)
2) Written essay of 2,500 words (70%).
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| Feedback |
Not entered |
| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
¿ An understanding of the recent history of reform, in particular the role of the World Bank and IMF in processes of fiscal consolidation and structural adjustment.
¿ An ability to evaluate the ability of user fee-reduction and/or elimination programmes to provide financial protection and equitable access to health care.
¿ An ability to analyse the impact of Global Health Initiatives on the capacity of health systems to address public health need and address health inequalities.
¿ An understanding of the role of innovative financing mechanisms in addressing disease burdens, and the impact of such mechanisms on wider strengthening efforts.
¿ An ability to evaluate reforms in high- and middle-income economies without universal health systems to expand financial protection and improve access.
¿ An understanding of the role of the private sector in the delivery of health care services, via contracts with state purchasers and through public-private partnerships.
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Reading List
Key texts:
¿ Saltman et al (Eds) (1998), Critical challenges for health care reform in Europe. Buckingham: Oxford University Press.
¿ Yip and Hsiao (2009), ¿China's health care reform: A tentative assessment¿, China Economic Review, Vol. 20, pp. 613¿619.
¿ Macinko J, Guanais FC, de Fátima M, de Souza M. (2006), ¿Evaluation of the impact of the Family Health Program on infant mortality in Brazil, 1990¿2002¿, Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, Vol.60, pp. 13-19.
¿ Cutler (2002), ¿Equality, efficiency, and market fundamentals: the dynamics of international medical care reform¿. Journal of Economic Literature; 40: 881-906.
¿ Stuckler, Basu and McKee (2011). ¿The International Monetary Fund and Aid Displacement¿, International Journal of Health Services, 41 (1), 67¿76.
¿ Nabyonga Orem et al (2012), ¿Abolition of user fees: the Uganda paradox¿, Health Policy and Planning, 26:ii41¿ii51.
¿ Yates R. (2009), ¿Universal health care and the removal of user fees¿. Lancet, Vol. 373: pp. 2078-2081.
¿ Biesma R, Brugha R, Harmer A, Walsh A, Spicer N, Walt G (2009), ¿The Effects of Global HIV/AIDS Initiatives on Country Health Systems: A Review of the Evidence¿, Health Policy and Planning, 24(4) 239-252.
¿ Hanson et al (2008), ¿Is private health care the answer to the health problems of the world¿s poor?¿ PLoS Medicine, Vol.5 (11), pp. 1528-1532.
¿ Basu et al (2012), ¿Comparative performance of Private and Public Healthcare Systems in Low- and Middle-Income Countries: a Systematic Review¿, PLoS Medicine, Vol.9 (6), online.
¿ Hollingsworth (2008), ¿The measurement of efficiency and productivity of health care delivery¿. Health Economics, Vol. 17: pp. 1107-1128.
¿ Sehkri, N., Feacham, R. and Ni, A. (2011). ¿Public-private integrated partnerships demonstrate the potential to improve health-care access, quality, and efficiency¿, Health Affairs, 30(8): 1498¿1507.
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Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Not entered |
| Keywords | Not entered |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Mr Mark Hellowell
Tel: (0131 6)51 1330
Email: Mark.Hellowell@ed.ac.uk |
Course secretary | Miss Amelia Hodgson
Tel: (0131 6)51 3162
Email: Amelia.Hodgson@ed.ac.uk |
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