The Arab participants in the First International Symposium for Research on Health Systems are only seven despite the presence of more than 1,200 participants from about 100 countries. This very small participation is reason to wonder despite the importance of the conference for researchers and decision-makers alike.
In fact, the scientific regulatory body for the Conference, which includes 100 researchers has only one Arab member, Dr Fadi El-Jardali, Researcher in the Department of Health Management and Policy at the American University in Beirut.
Professor of Public Health at the Institute of Social Research at the American University in Cairo, Sherine Shawky said that the problems of public health did not take place as well in the interests of the Arab regimes, despite the presence of a large percentage of distinguished researchers and the good scientific potential in many universities in the Middle East.
She stressed that there are approximately eight institutes in the Arab world specialized in the field of public health independent of medical schools, which is a small number compared to the population of the Arab world. She attributed this reluctance to why they “do not deal with those files from the perspective of a specialist.
It is considered that all matters relating to health is the prerogative of the colleges of medicine only, while the files of public health and health systems are linked to social and economic factors as well as cultural.
She pointed out that the development of health systems requires as well as knowledge of medicine, learning to deal with statistics, health trends and their causes or their social and economic dimension of health status and the rationalization of applied research in those areas. All those data will help in the development of effective health systems and will benefit everyone, she added.
The assistant professor at the University of Thamar in Yemen Dr Khalid Suraimi agrees with this view, explaining that most of the Arab academic institutions pay attention to traditional academic research.
Suraimi, who participated in the conference with a scientific paper said that “health systems research is a new field and shoud be interesting to developing countries where it contributes to making the right decision to lift the health systems in serving communities.
He believes that ignoring the applied research in this area compared to only focus on research and disease treatment must be quickly remedied through the provision of specialized research groups.
He explained that health systems do not only imply to medical diagnostic and therapeutic, but include the fields of economy, social, public health management, epidemiology, service sectors, human resources and information technology.
The researcher in the Department of Management and health policy at the American University in Beirut, Dr Fadi Al-Jardali said that the weakness of Arab participation in this important conference reflects the extent of the gap between decision-makers on the one hand and the scientific research in the Arab world on the other hand. Al-Jardali stressed urgent need to link decisions on public health with the results of field studies that contribute to make the right decision.
He explained that this is only possible through the development of a link between decision-makers and institutions to sit at the same table and to build long-term cooperation.
He pointed to the successful experiences of many developing countries such as Uganda, Ghana and Tanzania, which succeeded in overcoming the failures of the past.
He confirmed that the data and field studies are the key to optimal exit from the spiral of declining interest in the file of public health in the Arab world.
But Dr Sherine Shawky expressed a glimmer of hope to fill the gap through the cooperation of the World Health Organisation (WHO) with some Arab countries to deal with this issue, adding it is important and vital from a new perspective as it touches all countries and reflects its consequences for all segments of society.” —
KUNA