Health policy analysis institutes: landscaping and learning from experience, Viet Nam
The case study of Health Strategy and Policy Institute of Viet Nam
The multi-national landscaping study of Health Policy Analysis Institutes supported by the Alliance HPSR and funded by the Rockefeller Foundation aims to achieve three goals: (i) mapping existing national and regional health policy analysis institutes and initiatives; (ii) deriving lessons about the different organizational models and factors that contribute to the effectiveness and sustainability of such institutes and (iii) making recommendations to the Rockefeller Foundation and other stakeholders about how best to support the development of health policy analysis institutes in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs).
In Viet Nam, the Health Strategy and Policy Institute (HSPI) is a research agency that belongs to the Ministry of Health (MOH); the Health Minister appoints its Director. The HSPI has the comparative advantage of being close to policy circles: it has numerous opportunities and mechanisms to directly and indirectly influencing policy. However, outsiders often voice criticisms that the Institute lacks independence to conduct objective policy research, in particular when results and recommendations may not be in line with the MOH or the government policy directions. Whatever the case, there is certainly a very fine line between maintaining scientific independence and the close relationships necessary to influence policy and policy-makers.
As this is one of the eight multi-country case studies conducted by Alliance for Health Systems and Policy Research, a common protocol including approaches for literature reviews, guides for semi-structured interview were developed and applied to this study. Two main approaches were applied, in depth interviews of a number of relevant key informants and document reviews.
Findings: Using in-depth interviews of a number of relevant key informants, along with document reviews, this study determined the following issues to be of high importance:
- Governance: the pros and cons of being connected to the MOH. The Minister of Health and MOH department directors have increasingly requested evidence - often with urgency - from HSPI, with subsequent and substantial constraints on staff working on other tasks. It has been difficult for HSPI’s leaders to find the necessary niche and balance itself between science and policy.
- Research portfolio. There is a need to move from various small projects to those with a much longer-term horizon. This would allow the HSPI to address critical inter-related issues, with partners both in- and outside MOH. HSPI must also focus on building its publication record in peer-reviewed journals, with to date research reports only published in Vietnamese and English.
- Financial resources. Research requested by the MOH is also supported by funding through the annual budget allocation for which it fully covers annual salaries, administrative overhead and some primary research. Increasingly, HSPI has been successful in mobilizing research funding from different non-state sources through either short- or medium-term grants.
- Human resources. HSPI’s human resource capacity in term of qualification and their scientific contribution are well accepted by MOH and outsider constituencies, however, the number is still limited to meet increasing health systems development challenges, for which there are room for further capacity development.
- Networking. Due to a small research community, networking with other research institutes has not been well defined. However, networking is often easier to say than to do, where in particular, there is the potential for competition across research units in MOH Departments or in Universities. The current approach applied by HSPI tends to be research collaboration with individuals and not institutions, on a project base without any long-term engagement.
Related publications/policy briefs
Tangcharoensathien, Viroj & Walaiporn Patcharanarumol (2009). "Health Policy Analysis Institutes: Landscaping and Learning from Experiences: The case study of Health Strategy and Policy Institute of Vietnam." International Health Policy Program (IHPP), Ministry of Public Health, Thailand
Project description
Programme: Health policy analysis institutes: landscaping and learning from experience
Research title: The case study of Health Strategy and Policy Institute of Viet Nam
Thematic Research Area: Evidence to Policy
Grantee Country: Viet Nam
Grantee Institution: Viet Nam Health Strategy and Policy Institute (HSPI), Ministry of Health
Program Coordinator/Principle Investigator:Viroj Tangcharoensathien
Start date: September 2009
Status of grant: Completed (November 2009)