SCHOOL OF UNIVERSAL
HEALTH COVERAGE
Translating UHC policy into practice
BACKGROUND
Under the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), the Nation States at the United Nations (UN) have agreed to achieve Universal Health Coverage (UHC) by 2030. UHC is a normative concept, guiding health system reforms, to ensure equity and financial protection for all in need of health services.
The high-level political declaration on UHC at the UN calls on the Nation States to recognize the importance of the private sector and inter-alia include the private sector in the development, implementation and evaluation of health related policies and gauge their contribution towards UHC.
The role of the private sector is especially important in low- and middle income countries like Pakistan, where it is the predominant platform for service delivery. In these countries, despite its preeminence, the private sector’s potential in evidence synthesis and its contribution towards socio-culturally informed training and development is under utilized.
The ambitious UHC agenda would require the public and the private sectors to work in unison. Progress towards UHC necessitates the role of the private sector in driving the UHC agenda as an equal partner with the public sector. The School of Universal Health Coverage is born out of this conviction.
About SUHC
The School of Universal Health Coverage (SUHC), is first of its kind institute globally.. SUHC is a part of Global Institute on Human Development (GIHD) which is a constituent unit of Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University (STMU) and its affiliated Shifa International Hospital, a premier private sector hospital in Pakistan at par with best hospitals in the world.
Couched in a university academic setting and linked with a tertiary care teaching hospital, SUHC plans to establish certificate, diploma and degree programs by inviting the best faculty from within STMU and outside including regional and global experts.
GIHD-SUHC are linked with the Human Development Research Foundation (HDRF) which is a Trust, and has undertaken cutting-edge public health research over last three decades primarily in mental health domain. HDRF has, to its credit, more than 300 research papers published in international peer-reviewed journals. HDRF has 14 PhDs based on its programs in collaboration with European and American Universities, and research grants from almost all major institutions in global health.
Current annual international research grants of HDRF amount to around USD 2 million (PKR 30 Crores).
Rationale
In mixed health systems, like in Pakistan, private sector engagement must be an essential component for health sector development for UHC. Private health sector is heavily involved in health care provision and medical and public health education and training. SUHC is a private sector response to address public health education, training, practice and research that are aligned with the needs of UHC.
SUHC envisions developing its programs based on important and unaddressed national and regional needs in public health education, training, practice and research. SUHC strives to create a private health sector model of care for UHC, beginning with reorienting and aligning health care education, training, practice and research at the Shifa Tameer-e-Millat University and its affiliated Shifa International Hospital and other health facilities and guide other private hospitals and private medical colleges/universities in the same direction.
VISION
To be a premier private sector institute by achieving excellence in aligning medical and public health education, training, practice and research for reorienting the healthcare system towards primary health care based Universal Health Coverage and service to the society.
MISSION
SUHC’s mission is to help societies advance towards Universal Health Coverage by investing in related quality education and training by establishing appropriate models of health care in rural, peri-urban and urban settings, digital medical records and functional digital referral systems and imbedded implementation research.
PROPOSED FRAMEWORK FOR STRATEGIC SUHC INTERVENTIONS
POPULATION AND HEALTH WORKERS
To help create an informed grassroots mass mobilization for achieving UHC through awareness, education and public consultation.
HEALTH MANAGERS AND COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS
To help create a responsive health system through investing in the teaching, training practice and research of the health managers in line with the UHC priorities.
POLICYMAKERS, LEADERSHIP
To help create a conducive policy environment for UHC by investing in research, advocacy and sensitization of the policy community across the stages of policy formulation, implementation and evaluation
Core Values
- Diversity and equality
- Character and discipline
- Excellence in research and development
- Flexible and innovative
- Community uplift
- Evidence-based practice
- Intersectoral collaboration
Objectives
- Align medical and public health education, training, practice and research with UHC
- Promote learning health systems informed by embedded implementation research, in line with the normative concept of UHC
- Develop a private health sector model of care for Universal Health Coverage through training and development programs
- Bridge the gap between academia and industry by offering need-based practical educational programs and operational research
Some upcoming certificate courses
- Leadership in Universal Health Coverage
- Basic Health Economics
- Responsible Media Reporting in Health
- Public Health and Law
- Digital Medical Records and Referral System
- Mental Health
- Essential Public Health Functions
- Medical Ethics
- Patient Safety
- Occupational Health