Instituto de Cooperación Social INTEGRARE
Member profile
We are health and development professionals with extensive global experience in clinical health services, reproductive, maternal, newborn and child health, human resources, public health, health systems management and strengthening and advanced research. The Directors and Associates have worked for government bodies, national healthcare providers, professional associations, UN Agencies, academic institutions and the private sector.
Main activities
The focus of our research has increasingly centred on our three areas of excellence, and their inter-connected nature. These are Human Resources for Health (HRH), Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn and Child Health (RMNCH) and Health Systems Strengthening (HSS). We continue to situate our work within the broader aspirations of Universal Health Coverage and the Millennium Development Goals, supporting design, monitoring and evaluation activities for our partners. Recognising the need to promote evidence-based decision-making, accountability and results we have continuously sought to ensure that all research is grounded in the logic of the ‘Results Chain’ and can be utilised to address the outcomes and impact resulting from development programming.
Links to the health workforce crisis
- State of the World’s Midwifery 2011 report ICS Integrare was commissioned by UNFPA and the Norwegian Agency for Development (Norad) to lead the research, compilation and production of the State of the World’s Midwifery 2011 report which highlights efforts to strengthen midwifery in countries and regions and is an important step toward advocacy and policy planning.
- H4+ High Burden Countries Initiative. National Assessments of Midwifery in the Community Research and management support for in-depth national assessments of midwifery in 4 high-burden countries. This follows on from a September 2011 meeting in New York on the sidelines of the UN MDG Summit where UNFPA convened over 70 high-level representatives of the H4+ (UNFPA, UNICEF, UNAIDS, World Bank and WHO), Ministries of Health and international development partners. The meeting explored how the H4+ can support countries in strengthening Maternal and Newborn Health and the midwifery workforce. 8 countries (Afghanistan, Bangladesh, DRC, Ethiopia, India, Mozambique, Nigeria and Tanzania) invited the H4+ to support in-depth national assessments
- Review of AusAID’s workforce investments in the Pacific region. The work entailed the evaluation of five separate programmes and the development of a Concept Note on a regional HRH Support Strategy for 2011-20.
- AusAID/HRH Knowledge Hub. Provide input and advice to the HRH Knowledge Hub on current and future activities, including it’s positioning with and support to AusAID, the delivery of the existing workplan and forward strategies.
- WHO - A rapid literature review. What is the evidence on the number of pregnancies/live births that result in obstetric complications and require referral to specialist care? Reviewing available evidence in support of developing revised benchmarks to inform policy and planning discussions on maternal and newborn health (MNH) services; in particular emergency obstetric and newborn care (EmONC) and the skill-mix and numbers of the MNH workforce to deliver these services.
- GHWA - Development of a strategy to galvanize the Alliance members and partners. As facilitator of the working group developed discussion papers for the working group, and convened the group for a teleconference to discuss the drafts and solicit their input. Incorporated their comments and prepared a draft to kick start the discussion on the topics at the Board meeting on 2-3 July 2012.
- Commissioned to provide background preparation and research resulting in the production of a Policy Brief presented at the Conference Of Ministers Of Health And Ministers of Finance, ‘’Value For Money, Sustainability And Accountability In Health: A New Governance Framework For Africa Towards And Beyond The MDGs’ in Tunis, July 4 W 5,2012.
