Innovative Spending in Health: Unpacking the Global Evidence

Room 00-13, Ground Floor Chambers Building, OU, Milton Keynes

International Development seminar presented by Dr Julius Mugwagwa (DPP, OU).

Lunch (provided) from 12.00, presentation & discussion 12.30 - 14.00. To reserve your free place, please email Claire Emburey.

Abstract
Based on findings from his 3-year ESRC-funded project, Innovative Spending in Global Health, Julius Mugwagwa will present and analyse evidence of innovative spending in health delivery from South Africa, the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe. The seminar will explore the theoretical, policy and practice implications of these innovations, particularly their impact on inclusive and sustainable health delivery systems both in the study countries and more globally.

As the search for sustainable and effective health delivery mechanisms continues unabated from global to local levels, the importance of funding and investment in health cannot be over-emphasised. Global and local economic challenges have in some cases served as both an inhibitor and stimulator of effective health delivery innovations. Underpinned by and advancing the notion of innovative spending in health, the presentation emanates from a 3-year study seeking and analysing evidence in South Africa and Zimbabwe to buttress the idea that what is needed is not only more money, and/or doing more of the same, but innovative ways of spending the money and other resources to create and diffuse technologies, products and processes for cost-effective and sustainable healthcare systems.

The study confirms that the South African and Zimbabwean health systems are home to many groundbreaking health research, manufacturing, financing, delivery and insurance innovations championed by a diverse set of actors ranging from the government and private and civil society sectors to communities, households and individuals. Building on the evidence from the study countries, the presentation will seek to generate a broader discourse on innovations in health spending for African countries and other resource-limited settings, discussing the 'push' and 'pull' factors around these innovations, and deliberating on mechanisms for embedding 'good' innovations in the health systems.