Bachelor of Public Health - Regular training

PROGRAM OF  HEALTH POLICY
MODULE

FOR BACHELOR STUDENTS

Code                            : YCCS 4412

Credit                           :
2                    Theory: 2                     Practice: 0

Learning Hours            : 30                  
T: 30                             P: 0

Test                              :
2                    Exam: 1

Certificate                    : 1

Year                             :
3                    Semester: 2

Description of the module

Principles :

1. Health policy is not a
   discipline as health economics or epidemiology. Health policy is a
   process based on a logical approach : “how to recognise the major
   public health issues, select priorities, identify the most relevant
   strategies for achieving the proposed objectives, implement them using the
   most cost/effective resources and evaluate what has been done?”.
   
2. Health policy is not a field
   of intervention as mother and child health or occupational health. Health
   policy is a structured behaviour : “how to use information
   provided by other disciplines as statistics or epidemiology as well as
   anthropology or sociology to develop appropriate strategies to improve
   health of a given population?”.
3. Health policy is not a mean
   as human resources or infrastructures. Health policy is a permanent
   concern : “how to manage existing, potential or planned resources
   (public sector as well as private sector, international aid or NGOs) in
   order to improve efficiency of policy implementation?”

Logical consequence :
In order for bachelor students to learn about health policy issues they need to
have a good understanding of basic knowledge used in other disciplines. In
addition, in view of the limited time - 30 hours - health policy module for
bachelor students will focus on “key concepts and methods used in health policy”
in order to give them the necessary tools to better use health policy logical
approach. Lectures should therefore be divided in two parts : (i) definition and
use of some key concepts and methods and (ii) analysis of a Viet Nam based case
study and should be conducted in the second semester of the third year or the
first semester of the fourth year.

Objectives:

At the end of the Module, students will be able to:

•    Present some basic
  concepts applied in Health policy.

• ü       Analyse the role of
  State, Interest groups, International agencies and the partnership with
  private sector and civil society in the development and implementation of
  Health policies.

• ü       Analyse the process
  of  Health policies.

• ü       Write a policy paper
  regarding Health policy reform in Vietnam.

Context: 

No.	Context	No. of course
		T	P	Teachers
1	Introduction to the course -          Definition , concept and key words. -          Patterns of the Health policy’s  process	2	0	Nguyen Thanh Huong
2	Health Policies Formulation. -          Concept and position of Health Policies formulation’s phase. -          Essential basics for Health Policies formulation. -          Essential basics for Health Policies Paper. -          To determine policy’s problems and objectives -          To build policy solutions. -          To select and to approve Health policy	4	0	Pham Tri Dung Asso. Prof.
3	Using information in Health Policy Formulation -          Information Sources -          From research to policies. -          Building a policy agenda.	4		Nguyen Thanh Huong
4	Policy Implementation. -          Concept and position of Policy implementation -  Forms of Policy implementation. - Organizing Policy implementation. -          Selecting Policy implementation methods. -          Conditions to implement policies.	4		Bui Thanh Tam Prof.
5	The roles of the state and some organization in building and implementing health policy -          Roles of State; Regulated tools of State; -          Interest groups; -          International Agencies; -          Private sector and civil society.	4		Nguyen Thanh Huong
6	Analyze health policy - Concept. - Specific characteristics. - Forms.	2		Pham Tri Dung Asso. Prof.
7	Policy Evaluation -          Concept and Roles. -          Effection and forms. -          Criterion.	4		Pham Tri Dung Asso. Prof.
8	Health Policy Reform. -          Needed reasons for Health Policy Reform. -          Definition. -          Basic for analyzing Health Policy Reform. -          Tools for building Health Policy Reform strategies. -          Basical reform in Vietnam Health sector. -          The growth for Vietnam Health in the future.	6		guyen Thanh Huong
Total		30	0

Teaching methods

Positive Teaching and
learning methods based on:

-          Lecture:  brief presentation

-          Students: Brain storming, Group
discussion, case study.

Students will be distributed hand-outs to read
before each class, and will be assigned some task as colleting information
related to specifics issues in order to preparing discussion in class.

Measures:

Through learning process in classes, examination
score and final evaluation.

Score calculation based on the regulation of Ministry of Education and Training
and the implemented instructions of Hanoi School of Public Health.

Study materials

 

Sets of lectures in “Health Policy”, Health Policy
Department, Hanoi School of Public Health.

 

Reference

 

Vietnamese
Version:

1.       MoH. The National Health Protection and
Care Strategy – 2001 – 2010 Period 

2.       MoH.(2001). People Health Care towards
Equality and Efficiency. The Medical of Publish House.

3.       Gill Walt (1996). Health Policy: Process
and Power. The Medical of Publish House.

4.       Le Chi Mai (2001). Basic issues on policy
and policy’s process. The Hochiminh National University of Publish House.

English Version

5.       Anthony B. ZWI and Anne Mills (1995).
Health policy in less developed countries: past trends and future directions.
Journal of International Development. Vol. 7. No. 3.. 299-328.

6.       Christopher N. et al (1997). Tobacco use in
Vietnam. JAMA. 277(21). 1726-1731.

7.       Colin Palfrey (2000). Key concepts in
health care policy and planning: An introductory text. MacMillan Press.

8.       Tim Ensor (1997). What role for the state
care in Asian transition economies? Health Economics Journal. Vol. 6.. 445-454.

9.       Wayne Parsons (1995). Public Policy: An
introduction to the theory and practice of policy analysis. Edward Elgar
Publishing.

10.   World Bank (2001). World Development Report
2000/2001: Attacking poverty. 135-146. Oxford University Press.

11.   World Bank (1993). An agenda for action.
156-171.

12.   WHO (2000). The world health report 2000 -
Health system: improving performance.