Equinet Africa

EQUINET, the Regional Network on Equity in Health in East and Southern Africa, is a network of professionals, civil society members, policy makers, state officials and others within the region who have come together as an equity catalyst, to promote and realise shared values of equity and social justice in health.

EQUINET gathers people to overcome isolation, give voice and promote networking using bottom-up approaches built on shared values. We have come together in a spirit of self determination and collective self reliance working through existing government, civil society, research and other mechanisms and institutions in East and Southern Africa.

EQUINET is building a forum for dialogue, learning, sharing of information and experience and critical analysis. We do this to build knowledge and perspectives, shape effective strategies, strengthen our voice nationally, regionally and globally and to buiild strategic alliances to influence policy, politics and practice towards health equity and social justice.

EQUINET's work covers a wide range of areas identified as priorities for health equity, within the political economy of health, health services and inputs to health, covered in the theme areas shown on this site. EQUINET is governed by a steering committee with representatives from institutions in the region, has leads co-ordinating major areas of work and a secretariat at the Training and Research Support Centre Zimbabwe.

The EQUINET Conference and steering committee identified key areas of work on health equity within our three strategic areas - Reclaiming the resources; Reclaiming the state; Reclaiming collective agency and solidarity.  Building on past work and alliances, EQUIMNET has renewed network leadership and is implementing research, sharing practice, facilitating dialogue, and engaging in different platforms  on therse areas.  Go to Meetings to see information on our webinars on climate justice and register for our next webinar on climate justice and extractives on February 28th. Read about our online regional training on health impact assessment February to May 2024. Visit Publications to read new briefs on urban health innovations related to food, waste, circular economy and climate justice and new publications on taxing for health.   Read and subscribe to the Newsletter for a quick catchup on a range of publications, resources and opportunities related to health equity in the region 

CALL, Apply by April 11 5pm SAT: COURSE UNDERWAY! EQUINET Regional meeting May 23 and 24 Nairobi on Stragies for tackling commercial determinants of health and for urban wellbeing in ESA

This EQUINET regional meeting, convened by TARSC, is inviting and gathering people from institutions involved in work in ESA on urban health and health impact assessment HIA. It is being held on May 23rd and 24th 2024 in Nairobi, Kenya. It will use a mix of presentation, discussion and participatory processes to:

1.    Share and review experience and evidence from both urban health work and HIA in ESA on the laws, policies, systems, features, measures and tools that positively impact on health and that make linkages across economic, social, health and ecosystem wellbeing, including to respond to climate change.

2.    Identify the implications for policy and practice at national, regional and global level.

3.    Identify a theory of change and strategies to advance, support and scale-up in ESA the promising policies, practices and tools identified in the meeting.

4.    Identify issues from the meeting to communicate to policy, technical and wider audiences in and beyond the region on improving health (equity) and climate adaptation in urbanisation and in economic/ commercial activity in ESA.

To enable effective and active participation the numbers in the meeting will be limited. EQUINET will support the daily meeting costs for all delegates and sponsor a limited number of delegates for travel and accommodation, and welcomes other self-sponsored delegates. Delegates are asked to email interest to admin [at] equinetafrica.org (admin [at] equinetafrica.org) before 5pm Southern Africa time April 11th 2024 with REGIONAL MEETING in the subject line indicating in the email: their name, country, institution, outlining in a few sentences only work implemented relevant to the meeting aims; indicating prior involvement in EQUINET work and whether self-sponsored or seeking sponsorship for travel and accommodation for the meeting. Please attach a CV. Feedback will be provided by April 15th, with further details for accepted delegates. See the full call under EQUINET publications on this site or email admin [at] equinetafrica.org for further information.

COURSE UNDERWAY! EQUINET Online skills course on Health Impact Assessment February to May 2024
Between February and May 2024 EQUINET is convening in association with regional and international partners an online course in 12 sessions to build capacities on health impact assessment (HIA). The course is building understanding of the theoretical basis of HIA, and knowledge of the methods, evidence, analysis in an HIA, of reporting of and engagement on HIA, and implementation and monitoring of proposed actions. It is providing mentored guidance of participant HIA practical work, using real HIA case studies, and discuss implementation issues and strategies for scaling up and integrating HIA in law and practice in east and southern Africa. The course is fully subscribed for 2024 but if you are interested in the course or future sessions please contact the EQUINET secretariat.

EQUINET Webinars on Climate justice and health equity
Climate-related challenges affect every experience and dimension of health equity in the region. EQUINET invites you to explore this with us in a series of cross-cutting webinars in the coming months. The videos of the sessions are available on the EQUINET site as well as a brief of key points arising from each session in the online EQUINET bibliography

Watch the video for the webinar on climate justice and extractives in east and Southern Africa on Wednesday February 28th 2024
The fifth in EQUINET's series on health equity and climate justice in east and southern Africa on  Wednesday, 28th February 2024 was hosted by SATUCC and focused on climate justice and health equity in the extractive sector.  We heard inputs from expertise in the region working on environmental and climate law, on extractives and a just transition; and on experiences and actions from a trade union lens. The session will explore the evidence of impacts on health and climate of the extractive sector, and proposed legal, policy, advocacy and other actions at local, national and regional level and in global engagement. To watch the session please visit https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vvGnvDWBI8 and read the brief on the website publications page

See the video for the webinar on climate justice and trade in east and Southern Africa on December 6th 2023
The fourth webinar session was on Climate Justice and trade systems hosted by SEATINI  in EQUINET. The webinar focused on how climate intersects with trade systems that impact on health.  We heard from speakers with experience on these issues at community/local level, at national level and at global level.  If you missed it please visit the link here to watch the session - great presentations and discussion!.  You will also find a brief on the deliberations on the EQUINET publications page.

The first webinar on how climate justice intersects with protection of the right to health,  hosted by the Center for Health, Human Rights and Development (CEHURD) was successfully held in July with three interesting speakkers from local/national,  regionaland global level and participant views and comments. If you missed it  you can watch the session at this link.

The second webinar session on Climate Justice and Urban food and waste management systems was held on  Tuesday 29th August  hosted by Innovations for Development in EQUINET. The webinar focused on how climate intersects with urban food systens and waste management systems, and their link to water, energy and green spaces.  Speakers presented experience on these issues at community/local level, at national level and at global level.  The full webinar can be viewed at this link 

The third webinar session on Climate Justice and primary health care systems was held on  Wednesday 25th October  hosted by REACH Trust Malawi and IWG  in EQUINET. The webinar focused on how climate intersects with equity oriented primary health care systems.  Speakers presented experience on these issues at community/local level, at national level and at global level.  The full webinar can be viewed at this link

Expanding promising practice on urban health and wellbeing
EQUINET is supporting a community of practice on promising practice for sustained urban and periurban wellbeing in east and southern Africa to share and review evidence on practice features that could be scaled up across countries.  Visit the analytic framework that the community of practice is working with,  see the report of the regional meeting.  We On this website you can read new reports published in 2024 on holistic case studies on urban health. Please contact us if you are interested in this area of work and have interesting experience, tools and practice to share.

Call closed: Online course in early 2024 on health impact assessment in east and southern Africa. 

EQUINET through TARSC, in association with ECSA Health Community, SATUCC, TalkAB[M]R, Nossal Institute of Global Health and other international experts is convening online training including mentored case work to build HIA capacities in different actors in ESA countries. See further information on the 'Meetings' page. Participants are from an ESA country, from state, non- state, labour, professional or academic institutions.


Latest Equinet Publications

Capacity building paper: Patient involvement in treatment decision making among women with breast cancer: Creating person-centred and equitable health service systems
Batte, A; Odoi-Adome, R; Faculty of Medicine, Makerere University (2006 May)
Themes:
Equitable health services
Country
Uganda
Discussion paper 29: Planning and budgeting for Primary Health Care in Zambia: A policy process analysis of experiences and outcomes (1995-2004)
Ngulube, TJ; Mdhluli, LQ; Gondwe, K; CHESSORE (2005 October)
Themes:
Monitoring equity and research to policy
Country
Zambia
Capacity building paper: Protecting rights of access to essential medicines under trade and market policies: The Tanzania case study
Mhamba, R; Ezekiel, MJ; Shemdoe, GS; Institute of Development Studies, University of Dar es Salaam; Muhimbili University College of Health Sciences, University of Dar es Salaam; Tanzania Commission for Science and Technology (2005 September)
Themes:
Health equity in economic and trade policies
Country
Tanzania
EQUINET Discussion paper 36: Issues facing primary care health workers in delivering HIV and AIDS related treatment and care
South African Municipal Workers Union (SAMWU); School of Public Health, University of the Western Cape (2006 April)
Themes:
Human resources for health
Country
South Africa
Discussion paper 26: Equity in Health Care in Namibia: Towards a needs-based allocation formula
Ministry of Health, Namibia; World Health Organisation (2005 April)
Themes:
Resource allocation and health financing
Country
Namibia
Capacity building paper: Career plans of Year IV medical students at the University of Zimbabwe, College of Health Sciences
Musuka, G; TARSC (2005 December)
Themes:
Human resources for health
Country
Zimbabwe
Capacity building paper: Patients’ knowledge of medication use as an equity issue in health care: Do health workers pay attention to this?
Ssemaluulu, R; Adome, R; Department of Pharmacy, Makerere University (2006 February)
Themes:
Equitable health services
Country
Uganda
Capacity building paper: Perceptions of medical students, faculty and private GPs towards the utilisation of private GPs in the teaching of undergraduate medical students in Malawi
Matchaya, M; Muula, AS; Department of Community Health, University of Malawi; College of Medicine, Malawi (2006 February)
Themes:
Human resources for health
Country
Malawi
Capacity building paper: Secondary school students’ voice in HIV/AIDS prevention interventions in Tanzania: A case study of Mbeya region
Kamuzora, P; Rutagumirwa, SK; Department of Development Studies, University of Dar Es Salaam (2006 February)
Themes:
Equity and HIV/AIDS
Country
Tanzania
Capacity building paper: Willingness of women to test for HIV/AIDS: A case study of Zomba rural, Malawi
Chimwele, P; Chancellor College, University of Malawi (2006 February)
Themes:
Equity and HIV/AIDS
Country
Malawi

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