| Popis: |
In a report of the House of Lords Select Committee on Science and Technology entitled Civil Research and Development the reasons for a government to become involved in research include: a) to stimulate the progress of science; b) to support policy formulation and implementation; c) to improve technology; d) to support decisions for the procurement of services and goods; e) to support certain statutory functions of the state; and f) to support other activities. The distribution of the research effort is highly skewed: 93% of years of useful life lost because of disease are in developing countries that receive only 5% of the world's health research funding. Sound policy and management decisions need essential national health research. Country-specific research that can inform decision makers is often neglected. Research is especially necessary in epidemiology and social sciences applied to health. Prerequisites for the success of health services research and development are: a) acceptance by the scientific community; b) acceptance by policy makers and politicians. High quality research that is useful to policy makers requires access to good information and reliable data. The rapid pace of change of the contemporary health care system means that the most relevant information is available in settings such as medical aid societies and government departments rather than in published works. Researchers in South Africa must use these data bases. The World Health Organization is developing advisory committees on health research on a global and regional level; these committees must collaborate with universities, training institutions, research institutes, and development agencies. Since funds are available for research on primary health care (PHC), prioritization of projects for funding is needed along with discussions and proposals to stimulate PHC research in South Africa in view of PHC as a priority. |
