Dear HIFA colleagues,
Thank you for your contributions. We now enter the second week and invite you to consider Question 2:
Q2 Have you ever participated, either through a civil society organization or as an individual, in health policy processes at a national or sub-national level? What was your experience?
With this question we hope to identify examples of lived experience. Have you ever represented a civil society organisation (NGO, faith-based organisation, professional association, community group, other...) in any activity where you have presented evidence to help inform health policymaking or decision making at national, subnational or local level?
We are especially keen to hear examples where the main player is governmental (national, subnational, or local government), where the governmental body has solicited inputs from civil society organisations (as well as cases where CSOs have acted on their own initiative). Such inputs could be solicited directly through online discussion forums or public consultations and meetings, or perhaps indirectly use of qualitative surveys and interviews that have identified people's needs, values and preferences. Both direct and indirect processes could perhaps be exclusive with voice of some represented and not others. We would like to learn from your experience.
You may also have an example where a governmental body has failed to solicit inputs at the appropriate time or has done so inappropriately. There will be examples where such bodies have solicited input but failed to consider or assess inputs collectively, or where specific inputs have been inappropriately ignored. Or where the actual policies developed after consultation do not adequately reflect the inputs. We would like to hear about such examples as well.
HIFA's COLLECTIVE EXPERIENCE
HIFA members represent thousands of civil society organisations worldwide, from small local NGOs to large international NGOs, from faith-based organisations to professional associations. And many more who represent academic institutions, which are often included in discussions of civil society and from whom we welcome your experience.
Although HIFA is particularly focused on low- and middle-income countries, it will be valuable to hear the experience of civil society organisations in high-income countries.
Some countries are currently especially fragile or in conflict, while any country is at risk of becoming so. Other countries may have repressive regimes that stifle the voices of civil society. We look forward to hear from all countries. What is working well, and what isn't working? What needs to change, and how?
As usual, please send your contributions to: hifa@hifaforums.org
With thanks,
Neil & Unni
Joint Coordinators, HIFA SUPPORT-SYSTEMS https://www.hifa.org/projects/new-support-systems-how-can-decision-makin...
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HIFA: www.hifa.org
HIFA profile: Unni Gopinathan is a Senior Scientist at Norwegian Institute of Public Health, Norway.
HIFA profile: Neil Pakenham-Walsh is global coordinator of the HIFA global health movement (Healthcare Information For All - www.hifa.org ), a global community with more than 20,000 members in 180 countries, interacting on six global forums in four languages in official relations with WHO. HIFA brings stakeholders together to accelerate progress towards universal access to reliable healthcare information.
Twitter: @hifa_org neil@hifa.org
