Michael Devlin, COHRED

Susan Jupp (Global Forum for Health Research) and
Jamie Guth (WHO)

Civil society needs to be involved in the research process in a practical way, urging governments and decision-makers to apply the results of evidence-based research for the benefit of health.
This call has been made by the Council on Health Research for Development (COHRED) and the Global Forum for Health Research, two non-governmental organizations who jointly organized the Global Ministerial Forum on Research for Health along with WHO, UNESCO, the World Bank and the Republic of Mali.
COHRED’s Michael Devlin said he hoped the final declaration of the conference would strongly recognise the value civil society organisations could add to research efforts of big funders, organisations and governments.
“Everyone wants to know what impact they’re having. Well, the NGOs have put a declaration on the table to say that we can add value to what’s being done in these areas. Our view is that the big players need to think about focusing their work on country priorities and be better organized to play a role in improving health research. There should be a clear statement on harmonisation – it shouldn’t be lip service.”
He stressed that there should also be a strong emphasis on the alignment of health research on country priorities and how that should be done. Big vertical programmes should require themselves to build capacity to have a huge lasting effect on the millions being poured into countries. “It’s about leaving a legacy behind,” he said.
Echoing the sentiments of moving beyond lip service, Susan Jupp of the Global Forum on Health Research hopes that instead of a meeting of which there is lots of discussion, some of the lessons can be taken forward.
“We can understand what some of the questions are and put some pressure on governments based on the evidence which will be demonstrated here to apply some of the very good lessons of the work going on in Mali and take them out to other countries,” she said.
Mali has a government policy that makes equitable access to health care a national ambition, supported by a strong grassroots demand for quality care, close to homes. The World Health Report 2008 singles out Mali’s progress towards universal coverage as an example of what can be achieved when policy engages community participation, and uses health as an entry-point for broader community development. Health policy in Mali has been strongly guided by evidence generated during numerous internal and external evaluations, plot studies and research projects.