Evidence for Health Action: Research to Policy

There are efforts to strengthen evidence-based policy decisions and practices within the health system of Ethiopia by broadening stakeholder consultation. This has become critical because of the data being generated among local populations in the collaborative research activities of the HDSS sites located within the six public universities in Ethiopia (Dabat, Gilgel Gibe, Arba Minch, Butajira, Kilite-Awlaelo and Kersa). There is also increasing awareness that the end result of research is to save lives.

It is for this reason that 72 researchers, academicians, policy makers, public health and media practitioners met at a forum at the Capital Hotel and Spa in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia on August 19, 2016 with the aim to discuss challenges and strategies to promote stakeholder networking, and practical ways to bridge the research to policy and practice divide within the health systems in the country. The forum was funded by the INDEPTH Network and organised by the Health and Demographic Surveillance System (HDSS) sites and their parent universities (Addis Ababa, Haramaya, Gondar, Jimma, Mekelle and Arba Minch) in collaboration with the Ethiopian Public Health Association, Federal Ministry of Health and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). An international NGO, Save the Children, also provided additional funding for the activity.

Similar forums have been held in Ghana in December 2014, India in January 2015 and Tanzania in April 2015 and were funded by the INDEPTH Network.