COHRED Annual Report 2006 – Supporting national health research system -  approaches and country strategies to improve research for health

 

Learning and Publications Area:  COHRED publications series – Record Papers, Working Papers, National Health Research, Library and Archives (10,000 pages of past reports on strengthening national health research systems).

 

COHRED Briefing – synthesis and comment on research for health

 

Health Research Web – information, by country, on research for health.  A new service from COHRED

 

Health Research in Central Asia –  Projects and Approaches

Human Resources for Health Research  –  expert consultation and COHRED initiative

New – Good governance in health sector projects

 

New – Recent presentations by COHRED at conferences and global health meetings

Latest News

Cameroon-COHRED agreement – strengthening health research as a core of the national health sector strategy.

COHRED hosts Global Forum on Bioethics in Research

News Archives

Activities

Health research: a necessity for effectively addressing the health needs of the poor

Health research is necessary for countries to achieve better health, equity and development. Our business is to enable countries to set and meet health research objectives, especially those aimed at improving equity in health.

Health research makes a real difference to people’s health. Through health research, countries can:

§         Improve their health systems using existing resources and knowledge

§         Make effective, but expensive and complex health interventions simpler and more affordable

§         Identify and measure inequity in health and monitor progress towards its elimination

§         Provide evidence to set priorities for equity in health and inform policies

§         Focus resources on national health priorities

§         Identify wastage and ineffective actions

§         Improve the understanding of, and address, people’s health needs

§         Discover new ways to prevent and treat challenging diseases

Why national health research?

National health research conducted in the south has had an important impact on discovering diseases, developing treatments and improving health policies that are relevant to their health needs. Thanks to national health research -

§      Brazil discovered Chagas disease

In 1909, Carlos Chagas discovered American Trypanosomiasis (Chagas disease).

§      India developed Oral Rehydration Therapy (ORT)

In 1953, HN Chatterjee published the first human study of ORT.

§      Chile led the development of the copper Intra Uterine Contraceptive Device

In 1969, Jaime Zipper Abragan and Howard Tatum developed the first copper IUD.

§      China developed Artemisinin for the treatment of malaria

In 1972, Chinese researchers isolated Artemisinin from a traditional Chinese fever remedy. 

§      Cuba developed the first Meningitis B vaccine

In 1991, VG Sierra and HC Campa published the first randomised controlled trial of their Meningitis B vaccine.

§      Thailand built up the evidence to inform its national health reforms

Health research and good research management played a pivotal Role in the reform of the Thai health system. Research is one of eight pillars of the new system and is considered central to efforts to implement, monitor and evaluate further reforms.

§      Sudan altered its malaria treatment protocol

Using national research on resistance to Chloroquine, Sudanese policy-makers altered their national programme in 2004 to provide Artemisinin-based combination therapy as first and second line treatments.

COHRED: Making health research work……. for everyone