Studies from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine Reveal New Findings on Health Policy and Planning [Policy space and pro-health equity national policymaking: A case study of Myanmar during political transition (2006-2016)]: Health and Medicine – Health Policy and Planning

2022 SEP 23 (NewsRx) -- By a News Reporter-Staff News Editor at Insurance Daily News -- Data detailed on health policy and planning have been presented. According to news originating from London, United Kingdom, by NewsRx correspondents, research stated, “Health equity is central to achieving Sustainable Development Goals and COVID-19 has emphasised its importance. Ensuring health equity is prominent in policy discussions and decision-making, is a critical challenge in all countries.”

Our news correspondents obtained a quote from the research from London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine: “Understanding the policy space for actors to promote health equity in the policy process may help to strengthen prioritisation of equity in policy and programme discussions and decisions. Authors developed a conceptual framework for policy space based on a narrative literature review. This comprised five key elements and their associated factors: i.e. context, policy circumstances, policy characteristics, actor engagement, and policy spaces. Authors then applied it in Myanmar during a period of political transition, using a qualitative case study design. Findings showed that political transition provided an important ‘policy window’ to develop more equitable health policy in Myanmar. Changing policy circumstances offered opportunities for advancing pro-equity policy. However, lack of visibility of health equity and long-standing inequalities were important challenges to policy space.”

According to the news reporters, the research concluded: “Within a changing context, actors at individual and organisational levels used a range of policy spaces to advance pro-equity health policy. Learning from using the framework in Myanmar was incorporated into a revised framework. Application of this revised framework could provide valuable insights into the opportunities to promote a pro-health equity approach across policy and programme discussions and decision-making for actors trying to promote equity in other transition and non-transition contexts.”

For more information on this research see: Policy space and pro-health equity national policymaking: A case study of Myanmar during political transition (2006-2016). Health Policy and Planning, 2022. The publisher for Health Policy and Planning is Oxford University Press (OUP).

A free version of this journal article is available at https://doi.org/10.1093/heapol/czac076.

Our news editors report that more information may be obtained by contacting Fiona Campbell, Department of Global Health and Development, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 15-17 Tavistock Place, London, WC1H 9SH, United Kingdom. Additional authors for this research include Than Tun Sein, Thant Sin Htoo, Wai Yee Krystal Khine, Natasha Howard, Dina Balabanova.

ORCID is an identifier for authors and includes bibliographic information. The following is ORCID information for the author of this research: Natasha Howard (http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4174-7349).

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