The Challenges of Creating a Global Health Resource Tracking System

by Eiseman, Elisa

• ISBN13: 9780833037275
• ISBN10: 0833037277
• Edition: 1st
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2005-04-04
• Publisher: RAND CORPORATION

Summary

"In recognition of the enormous health needs of developing countries - most notably stemming from infectious diseases and the lack of basic health care, clean water, adequate sanitation, and food - and, more recently, of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) - which call for a dramatic reduction in poverty and marked improvements in the health of the poor by the year 2015 - governments, international organizations, for-profit corporations, and nonprofit organizations throughout the world regularly provide both cash and in-kind health resources to developing countries. These health resources are not tracked on a global level, however, which means that policymakers do not have the comprehensive, accurate, and timely data they need to identify resource gaps, target assistance, avoid duplication of effort, and track progress toward the MDGs. The RAND Corporation assessed existing systems for tracking health resource flows to and within developing countries to determine the purpose, content, strengths, and limitations of these systems, with the objective of determining the characteristics that a truly global health resource tracking system must have to meet the needs of potential users and address the limitations of current systems. The study involved extensive interviews with people key to the operation and/or management of all major health resource data collections, detailed analyses of these data collections, literature reviews, and a technical consultation with experts involved in health resource tracking."--BOOK JACKET.

Table of Contents

Preface	iii
Tables	ix
Summary	xi
Acknowledgments	xv
Abbreviations	xvii
Glossary of Terms	xxi
The Data Challenge	1	(8)
The Need for Data on Health Resource Flows	2	(2)
What Are Health Resources?	4	(2)
Defining Health Resources	4	(1)
Tracking Health Resources---Budget Versus Obligation and Expenditure Information	5	(1)
Purpose of This Report	6	(1)
Technical Consultation on Health Resource Tracking	6	(1)
Organization of This Report	7	(2)
Current Collections of Health Resource Data	9	(30)
An Inventory of Health Resource Data Collections	9	(3)
Methodology	12	(1)
Data on Donor Aid	12	(5)
Creditor Reporting System (CRS)---Database on Aid Activities	12	(1)
Accessible Information on Development Activities (AiDA)	13	(2)
Report on HIV/AIDS Grantmaking by U.S. Philanthropy	15	(1)
U.S. and Global Funding for HIV/AIDS in Resource Poor Settings	16	(1)
Data on Donor Aid and Country-Level Expenditures/Activities	17	(2)
Resource Flows Database	17	(1)
Global Tuberculosis Control: Surveillance, Planning, Financing	18	(1)
Data on Country-Level Expenditures/Activities: National Health Accounts, National HIV/AIDS Accounts, and Other Disease-Specific Subanalyses	19	(7)
General Description	19	(2)
OECD Health Data	21	(1)
World Health Organization (WHO) National Health Accounts	22	(1)
Pan American Health Organization (PAHO) Health Accounts/National Health Accounts	23	(1)
Partners for Health Reformplus (PHRplus) National Health Accounts	24	(1)
Regional AIDS Initiative for Latin America and the Caribbean (SIDALAC) National HIV/AIDS Account	25	(1)
Data on Country-Level Expenditures/Activities: Other	26	(5)
World Development Indicators (WDI) Database	26	(1)
National Health Care Expenditure (NHExp) Database	26	(1)
Data Base of Trade in Health Related Goods and Services in the Americas	27	(1)
Institute for Democracy in South Africa (Idasa) Budget Information Service (BIS) Budget Briefs and Reports	28	(1)
Immunization Financing Database	29	(1)
Country Response Information System (CRIS)	30	(1)
Examples of Other Types of Databases	31	(1)
World Bank Projects Database	31	(1)
Global Fund Funded Programs Database	31	(1)
Quality of Data in Current Health Resource Data Collections	31	(8)
Frequency of Data Collection and Period Covered	32	(1)
Timeliness of Data	33	(1)
How Data Are Acquired	33	(1)
Primary Versus Secondary Data	34	(1)
Responding/Reporting Entities	34	(1)
Granularity of Data	34	(1)
Type of Funding Reported	35	(1)
Countries/Regions Covered	35	(1)
Area of Health Tracked	36	(1)
Resource Transaction Chain	36	(1)
External Resource Flows	36	(1)
Domestic Resource Flows	37	(1)
Data Quality and Harmonization	37	(1)
``Cost'' of Data Collection	37	(1)
Linkage to Other Relevant Datasets	37	(1)
Summary	38	(1)
A Global Health Resource Tracking System	39	(8)
What Data Are Essential?	40	(1)
Gaps in Currently Available Data	41	(1)
A Different Approach to Collecting Data	41	(1)
Unobtrusive Measures	42	(1)
Using Unobtrusive Measures to Track Health Resources	43	(1)
Users of a Global Health Resource Tracking System	44	(3)
Conclusions	47	(66)
Gaps in Current Data Collection Efforts	47	(1)
Using Current Health Resource Tracking Efforts	48	(1)
Next Steps: Developing Technical Specifications for a Comprehensive Global Health Resource Tracking System	48	(1)
Additional Data	48	(1)
A Different Approach to Collecting Data	49	(2)
APPENDIX
A. Participants in Technical Consultation on Health Resource Tracking Held by the Center for Global Development and RAND, May 10--11, 2004	51	(2)
B. Inventory of Health Resource Data Collections	53	(16)
C. Inventory of Health Resource Data Collections---Detailed Descriptions	69	(40)
D. List of Interviewees	109	(2)
E. Interview Questions About Health Resource Tracking	111	(2)
References	113