Monitoring Financial Flows for Health Research

MACEIRA, DANIEL

Global Forum for Health Rasearch

Año: 2009 p. 212

978-2-940401-23-9

One of the key messages heard as part of the 2008 Global Ministerial Forum on Research for Health  in Bamako, was that not only do low- and middle-income countries need to develop capacity to conduct research, but there needs to be a greater sense of accountability for health research systems globally. Part of this accountability comes from greater transparency surrounding how these investments are dispersed and utilized. With adequate monitoring systems, this information could: 1. Inform investments in health research. 2. Draw attention to the inequitable distribution of investments. 3. Foster cooperation with donors, governments, industry and organizations. In this issue of Monitoring Financial Flows, we examine the importance of monitoring financial  flows to health research, with a special focus on public investments in health research in selected Latin American countries. Throughout the studies, it should be evident that health research systems are organized so as to link the creation of knowledge with imperatives of improving health and  equity. Chapter 1 discusses the many shortcomings of the current global health research system, namely, that until recently there has been a lack of incentives to undertake research and provide access to interventions for the poor. The failure to prevent and treat disease is devastating to communities, economies, individuals and nations. Particularly in a time of a global economic crisis, it is important to remember that health research is not a luxury. Subsequently, Chapter 2, the central comparative study of this year`s Monitoring Financial Flows, coordinated by Daniel Maceira with Fernando Aramayo Carrasco (Bolivia), Guillermo Paraje  (Chile), Sergio Duarte Masi (Paraguay), and Delia Sánchez (Uruguay) examines how various countries established priorities for health research using a common methodological approach for the years2002–2006. The authors make the case that with limited resources, governments benefit from better alignment of national health research priorities with the populations’ health profile. Individual country studies (Chapters 3–7) highlight the health profiles and the government health research strategy in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay and Uruguay. Having supported research on tracking resource flows to health research in Brazil in 2006, the  Global Forum for Health Research approached the Ministry of Health to contribute a chapter for the publication. Chapter 8by Vianna et al. highlights investments in health research by public, private and international organizations in Brazil for the years 2003–2005. By institutionalizing this practice, the Ministry of Health in Brazil, has facilitated more concerted investments in health research and  informed policymaking for its health and innovation systems. Moreover, in light of the upcoming Forum 2009 in Cuba, the Cuban Ministry of Health kindly  agreed to undertake a study about resources for health research. In Chapter 9, Adolfo Alvarez  Blanco and Niviola Cabrera Cruz highlight Cuba’s technical assistance, investments in scientific  research and innovation, and training of researchers. Lastly, in its advocacy role, the Global Forum  for Health Research has been working since 1998 to help increase accountability for the Development of drugs, diagnostics and vaccines for diseases mainly found in low- and  middleincome countries; to support research on how to deliver these interventions and provide  access to them; and to encourage research to support the development of effective and equitable  health services that benefit poor and marginalized populations. As part of this effort, the Global  Forum, has instituted a Report Card (Chapter 10) to be published in the Monitoring Financial Flows series, which measures progress against agreed  targets. One of the greatest difficulties in this  monitoring of health research is that its activities are expensive, but there are no validated methods for measuring its impact. Moreover, measurement challenges of incomplete data, lack of integrated  databases and historic data, double counting, inconsistency of published information and numerous accounting standards pose significant challenges in measuring investments. Despite these hurdles,  here are a number of international efforts to track investments by region, disease category and  funders. In undertaking the most recent issue of the Report Card, the Global Forum found that  although policy-makers set ambitious targets to ramp up research and development for health, the  majority of countries are illequipped to monitor these investments.