The African Health Economics and Policy Association (AfHEA), in collaboration with the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research (AHPSR), is pleased to announce that we are sponsoring a competition for analytical papers on the theme of user fees for health services in Africa. AfHEA is an emerging association of African health economists and other experts in related fields, aiming to strengthen the capacities of its members in the field of health economics and allied areas (eg health financing and policy), as well as to promote the use of health economics tools and evidence in decision making within the health sectors of African countries. The Inaugural Conference of AfHEA is scheduled to take place from 8th -10th October 2008 in Accra, Ghana, under the theme: “Priorities of Health Economics in Africa”. People wishing to attend and/or present a paper at the conference may check the AfHEA web site for details of abstract submission, conference costs etc. For information about the Alliance for Health Policy and Systems Research (AHPSR), please visit http://www.who.int/alliance-hpsr.

To solicit and publicise high quality, analytical contributions from African health economists as well as financing and policy experts on the role of user fees for health services in Africa, in order to give greater space to authentic voices from the continent in the debate. Through this work, to help further the institutional development of the African Health Economics and Policy Association.

This competition is open to all those working or studying within the continent of Africa in any related field (health economics, financing, policy, public health, related research) including individuals who are not members of AfHEA. It is particularly meant to encourage those who are in direct contact with the realities of African people but who have largely not had similar input into the international debates on this issue, dominated as these have been by donors and international agencies. This target therefore includes those working in policy (say Ministries of Health) as well as academic and other institutions, as well as individual consultants in these fields. Africans working within donor and international agencies can of course also participate. For any joint work submitted, all authors must satisfy the above conditions. In addition, in order to qualify, your paper must not exceed 1,500 words. In addition to papers based on research findings, equal weight will be given to other analytical approaches such as ethical or political ones. Papers will be accepted in either English or French. At least one of the awards will be reserved for a submission by a full-time student in health economics or related field.1

The authors of the 5 best papers will be given prizes of $1000 each and each of them will be funded (for travel, lodging and conference fees2) in order to participate in a round-table discussion on the same theme at the AfHEA inaugural conference in 2008. For joint submissions, only one cash prize of $1000 will be given for the paper and only the lead author will be entitled to free travel to the AfHEA conference to make the presentation. In addition, AfHEA and the AHPSR will seek to have those five papers published, either in a journal (for example as a round table discussion in the World Health Bulletin), or as part of a stand-alone publication on this theme in both English and French.

The papers will be judged by the following African experts drawn from the fields of health policy, economics and financing:

• Dr Eva Pascoal (Mozambique, WHO-HEC) 
- Professor Di McIntyre (South Africa, Health Economics Unit)
- Dr Francois Diop (Senegal, Abt Associates)
- Professor Kodjo Evlo (Head of Economics at Univeristy of Lome, Togo)
• Dr Georges Nsengiyumva, ancien Directeur-General du Ministère de la santé du Burundi (actuellement Directeur de la Recherche au Centre National de Référence en matière de lutte contre le VIH/SIDA)
• Dr Miloud Kaddar (Algeria, WHO-Geneva)
- Dr Chris Atim (Ghana, PATH Malaria Vaccine Initiative) 
- Professor Germano Mwabu (Kenya, Harvard University)
• Professeur LOUKOU Yao Guillaume (Cote d’Ivoire), coordinator for elaboration of « Plan National de Développement Sanitaire (PNDS 2008 - 2013) » and for EPIVAC.


 Essays will be judged on their originality, their contribution to understanding the user fee debate in Africa, their analytical rigor, and adherence to the other terms stated above. Essays may treat the question from the angle of the experience of particular communities (or even individual testimonies), or at the national or regional level. Experience and lessons in finding alternatives to user fees, so long as the relationship to the previous or co-existing user fee situation is demonstrated, will also be accepted.

Please send your article in electronic form (MS Word 2003 format or pdf version), no later than 1st May 2008, with your name and full contact details enclosed to the following email address: afhea08@gmail.com. All submissions will be duly acknowledged. Winners will be notified by 1st July 2008 and the results published in the AfHEA online forum as well as the AfHEA and AHPSR web sites.

Faites vous entendre dans le debat sur le recouvrement des coûts des actes de santé en Afrique [PDF]

Theme: Priorities of Health Economics in Africa

We call on all African health economists / health economists working in Africa or on African-related themes to submit abstracts for the Inaugural Conference of the African Health Economics and Policy Association (AfHEA), which will be held in Accra, Ghana from 8th to 10th October 2008. The overall theme of this conference is “Priorities of health economics in Africa”. Abstracts are particularly encouraged for research related to the sub-themes of the conference:

• User fees
• Equitable health care financing in Africa
• New international health care financing mechanisms and initiatives
• Human resources for health in Africa
• Economic evaluation of health services in Africa
• Health research priorities

Abstracts may be submitted in English or French and must be structured as follows:

• Title of paper
• Name, institutional affiliation and e-mail address of presenting author
• Names of co-authors
• 400 word maximum abstract which indicates the aim and objectives of the paper, the methods used and the key findings.

Abstracts must be submitted by 29 February 2008 to Okore.Okorafor@uct.ac.za. They will be reviewed by the AfHEA conference Scientific Committee, which includes representatives from a wide range of African countries and is chaired by Prof. Di McIntyre of the University of Cape Town. Those submitting abstracts will be informed of the outcome by mid-April 2008.