Phi

1
Building library partnerships for better health
across the globe 
Health Information Outreach the International
Dimension
Shane Godbolt, Partnerships in Health
Information Maria Cotera, African Prisons
Project Jean Newman, Kenya Health Information
Partnership SHINE Study Day AGM, Glasgow, 31
March 2011

2
Overview

• Context
• Partnerships in Health Information
• International Federation of Library Associations
  and Institutions
• Kenya Health Information Partnership
• African Prisons Project
• Joining partners in Uganda
• The Way Forward
• Getting Practical
• Conclusion

3
Overall Context Health Information Africa
That the AIDS pandemic is threatening
sustainable development in Africa only
reinforces the reality that health is at the
centre of sustainable development Gro Harlem
Brundtland
4
Strategic Context Health Information Africa

• Influencing politicians Make Poverty
  History Campaign
• Millennium Development Goals
• Key challenges Poverty, debt, disease

5
International Development Health Librarians

• Favourable climate of official policy
• Recognises role of health librarians and
  information specialists
• Health librarians are crucial to providing access

6
Partnerships in Health Information

• Registered charity, founded 1992
• Trustees health professionals including
  librarians, academics other NGO colleagues
• Programmes Officer 2006 (full time grant funded
  post) enabled expansion of activities alignment
  with government level emphasis on partnerships
• Information and Communications Technologies
  (ICTs) are redefining the role of librarians and
  library service development

7
Phis Objectives

• Capacity building for health information
  professionals librarians
• Facilitating health information partnerships
  development projects
• Networking collaborating with others to
  underpin good quality healthcare with reliable
  health information

8
Phi's Principles of Working

• Listening learning
• Work driven by needs priorities of developing
  country partner
• Building on what exists
• Who else is doing what?
• Sustainability
• Think about it from the start

9
Phi's Track Record

• Essential need for Phi's activities were promoted
  in the Crisp Report (2007)
• Developed broad portfolio of projects and
  partnership activities (funded by BMA, INASP,
  DelPHE, IFLA)
• Substantial experience in working with partners
  to support library service development in
  societies where local hierarchies and high rates
  of illiteracy are the norm
• Strong working relations with other organisations
  and groups working in the field of health
  information

10
Phi's Working Areas
Ethiopia Uganda Sierra Leone Tanzania Kenya Mozamb
ique Senegal Zambia Nigeria
11
Phi's Working Partners

• Association for Health Information and Libraries
  in Africa (AHILA)
• Healthcare Information For All by 2015 (HIFA2015)
• Information Training and Outreach Centre for
  Africa (ITOCA)
• International Network for the Availability of
  Scientific Publications (INASP)
• Tropical Health and Education Trust (THET)

12
Phi's Working Partners

• CILIP The Chartered Institute of Library and
  Information Professionals, especially
• Health Libraries Group (HLG)
• International Library and Information Group
  (ILIG)
• The International Federation of Library
  Associations and Institutions (IFLA)

13
Delegates attending the Public Access to Health
Information Workshop in Mozambique, March
2011. (Photo courtesy of Flatiel Vilanculos,
Secretary-General, AHILA 2008 -2010, Vice
President 2011 -)
14
Do We Make a Difference?
The projects you have carried out ... have gone
a long way in not only empowering health
information professionals but also health
information consumers from grass roots who really
need access to simplified health information
Phi can be easily traced by the good trails
you are imprinting in Africa. The partnerships
you have fostered ...are true partnerships for
development and we will always look forward to
more fruitful partnerships
Vimbai M. Hungwe, President of the Association of
Health Information and Libraries in Africa, July
2009 Photo Phi Archives
15
International Federation of Library Associations
and Institutions

• IFLA was founded in Edinburgh in 1927
• It is the leading international body representing
  the interests of library and information services
  and their users
• 1600 members in approximately 150 countries
• It is the global voice of the library and
  information profession

16
IFLA's Contribution to Health Information

• Committee on Free Access to Information and
  Freedom of Expression (FAIFE)
• One of IFLA's Core Activities
• Supports IFLA policy development and co-operation
  with other international human rights
  organisations
• Has developed a Public Access to Health
  Information programme in partnership with Phi

17
IFLA's Contribution to Health Information

• Health and Biosciences Libraries Section
• Represents and acts as a forum for special
  libraries concerned with all aspects of
  information dissemination and services
• Calls for better provision for health care
  information to health care consumers
• Promotes cooperation with the World Health
  Organization (WHO) and other relevant
  international bodies

18
IFLA's Contribution to Health Information

• Women, Information and Libraries
• Special Interest Group
• Founded in 2007 at the IFLA Congress in Durban,
  South Africa
• Focuses on women as users of library and
  information services, as workers in the library
  field, and as providers of information
• First programme addressed women librarians'
  contribution to the UN Millennium Development
  Goals

19
Case Study
The Kenya Health Information
Partnership Jean Newman, Co-ordinator
20
Kenya Health Information Partnership Ken-HIP

• Consortium of libraries and librarians from
  across the South West Strategic Health Authority
• Set up formally in 2006 as a Phi supported
  partnership
• partnered with Ken-AHILA, a country chapter of
  AHILA
• Initial focus on training CPD activity

21
Delegates of Phi facilitated workshop to assess
health information needs in Kenya prior to
establishing a partnership, March 2006With
thanks to The Nuffield Foundation, Avon,
Gloucestershire Wiltshire Strategic Health
Authority Kenya Medical Research Institute for
financial support (Photo Phi Archives)
22
Activities and Achievements

• Phi support in obtaining small grant funding
• Three visits to Kenya 2006, 2008 and 2010
• Assistance with sponsorship for visits to UK by
  Kenyan health librarians
• Support to Ken-AHILA members
• Building a sustainable relationship

23
Nasra Gathoni, elected President of AHILA Oct
2010,  with Jean Newman on a Phi sponsored
programme, Sept 2009

(PhotoPhi Archives)
24
Looking to the Future

• New ways of furthering the partnership
• Look imaginatively at what new developments in
  ICT might offer
• Support Ken-AHILAs strategic plans for outreach
  work
• Encourage partnerships with other organisations
  in Kenya and the sharing of skills and experience
  locally as well as internationally

25
Do We Make a Difference?

• We are determined to excel by having
  additional 
• outreaches so as to empower disadvantaged groups
  to access health information for quality health
  life. We are counting on our stakeholders for
  support especially during this implementation
  stage.
• Muthoni Gichohi by email to Jean Newman, on 29
  March 2011

26
African Prisons Project

• UK registered charity founded in 2007
• Works to increase access to healthcare,
  education, justice and community reintegration
  for people in prison in Africa
• Works through partnerships, with prisons
  services, inmates and staff, volunteers,
  professional advisors and partner organisations,
  as well as paid staff

27
APP Work Areas

• Healthcare (sickbays, mental health projects)
• Education (building libraries, basic literacy
  classes, mothers and babies programmes,
  vocational training, reading groups, access to
  health information project)
• Access to justice
• Community reintegration

28
APP's Health Information Project

• Aims to provide health information corners in
  APP libraries, and to include health related
  books in portable libraries, to initiate and
  maintain health information campaigns (diabetes,
  mental health, HIV/AIDS etc.)
• Stage 1 Sourcing books for the project Croydon
  NHS Library has donated ca. 800 books in February
  2011

29

• Maria visited Uganda in September 2010, sponsored
  by Phi, to
• Undertake a needs assessment in African prisons
  to draft APP's education strategy 2011-13
• Meet and network with key Ugandan partners in the
  field of health information provision, building
  on existing Phi links and exploring new ones

Joining partners in Uganda
30

• Support professional networks between related
  organisations to foster greater cooperation and
  collaboration - IFLA/FAIFE PAHI Programme in
  Uganda etc.
• Contribute to mutual exchange of ideas and best
  practice for the benefit of the entire community.
  

Joining partners in Uganda
31
Strengthening Uganda's Health Network
Representatives from Uganda Nurses and Midwives
Union, African Prisons Project, Mulago General
Hospital and Uganda Chapter of the Association
for Health Information and Libraries in Africa,
discussing health information issues in Uganda,
September 2010
(Photo Paul Ssemwanga, Chair of
UG-AHILA)
32
The Way Forward

• Partnership Working V. Parallel working
• It is more effective
• Delivers better outcomes
• Address current situation
• Aim To increase partnership working with other
  professions bodies cross sectorally

33
The Way Forward
To be part of broader agendas Internationally
(IFLA/FAIFE PAHI project, WHO HINARI, HIFA2015)
Nationally Specialised charities with broader
health education objectives (THET, APP)
Locally Partner networks in the UK Africa
Aim To Achieve win win for all partners,
especially our developing country partners
34
Getting Practical - Opportunities
Become Involved in Scottish Initiatives
1. Scotland Malawi partnership http//www.scotla
nd-malawipartnership.org/ 2. Ghana Upper West
Region-Scotland, Inverness-Link 3. Zambia St
Francis Hospital, Katete-NHS Borders,
Scotland Chitambo Hospital Nurse Training School,
Zambia / NHS Education for Scotland (NES)
Link NDOLA-Lothian Link 4. Swaziland
Siteki-Glasgow (Vision2020)
35
Getting Practical - Opportunities

• Become Involved in Library Health Information
  Initiatives
• New Library projects in Nigeria, Uganda Zambia
  are currently looking for partners are part of
  broader networks
• Join Friends of Phi
• Join Friends of APP

36
Opportunities - Getting practical

• Learn more
• Check the Further Information sheet which
  comes with this presentation
• Read Nigel Crisps book Turning the world
  upside down the search for global health in the
  21st century. London Royal Society of Medicine
  Press, 2010.
• Sign up for HIFA2015

37
Conclusion

• We need to work in an interdisciplinary way
• Find what inspires you and...
• Get collaborating with charities,
• doctors, nurses, midwives,
• academics, researchers...

38
Acknowledgements

• To our colleagues in Phi APP in particular Emma
  Farrow and Cath Butterfield Glorias Assimwe
• and especially to our partners and colleagues in
  Africa who are doing the work on the ground.

39
Thanks you for listeningAny questions?

• shane_at_godbolt.co.uk
• mariacotera_at_africanprisons.org
• Jean.Newman_at_swpho.nhs.uk