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OVERVIEW OF POVERTY AND HEALTH IN THE SOUTH CAUCASUS

Eva Slawecki, Jenni Bennett

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Using the South Caucasus Health Information Project (SCHIP) experience, this presentation will focus on providing an overview of the challenges of health reform within the context of poverty and health.

In recent years, poverty reduction strategies have been targeting more closely social development and the importance of population health. The WHO Commission on Macroeconomics and Health has emphasized the connection between investment in health and economic growth, and a recent initiative by four international financial institutions has been launched to focus on the poverty reduction strategy papers (PRSPs) of the seven poorest countries of the former Soviet Republics (including the South Caucasus, which is Armenia, Georgia, Azerbaijan). In conjunction with these efforts to address poverty in the CIS 7 (Commonwealth of Independent States), the Canadian Society for International Health is focused on working with various shareholders in the pursuit of creative solutions towards poverty reduction.

The Canadian Society for International Health (CSIH) has been active in Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan in the field of health information systems since 1999 with two phases of SCHIP, funded by the Canadian International Development Agency. SCHIP aims to strengthen health reform at the national and district-level, with the appropriate application of health information technology and information management strategies, through training and development of local information systems.

Our goal is to integrate comprehensive health information systems into PRSPs. Effective action requires the support of a health information system that provides the means for the collection, storage, and communication of data; the processing of data and statistics into information; and, the presentation of information as a basis for decision-making. This cycle of activities within the health sector is of particular importance, especially within the context of PRSPs. An accurate assessment of needs (i.e., recognizing the poor, identifying inequities) is required for appropriate targeting and design of interventions, and given the scarcity of resources, the impact of these interventions must be monitored and evaluated in terms of changes in health outcomes and other socio-economic indicators.

Presenters from CSIH and its partners from the South Caucasus will expand on the significant discrepancies in data which are commonplace, making it impossible to accurately monitor progress and evaluate the success of the various interventions. With the understanding that HIS is the foundation for health system reform, CSIH continues to support capacity building in HIS in Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan with more focus in Phase Two on developing management culture and incorporating health information into the academic community of the South Caucasus.

View the Powerpoint Presentation

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