Tibet health capacity building program (Tibet Health)

Implemented in partnership with the Tibet Regional Health and Family Planning Commission, this is the latest in a decade-long relationship between agencies, funded by the Australian government, working together to strengthen the Tibet Autonomous Region (TAR) health system.

Objective

The Tibet Health Capacity Building Program focused on assessing counterpart needs and coordinating technical support to improve management and clinical capacity within the TAR health system.

There were 2 main streams of activity:

• health management
• building capacity.

Health management

These activities improve senior and mid-level health managers’ capacity to implement the TAR Five Year Plan for Health and their skills in organisation-based management. Health management training is being delivered, including short tailored courses that will lead to formal qualifications. The program also supports operational research activities to enable participants to apply skills learned through training.

Building capacity in priority technical & clinical practices

These activities complement investment in improving health management skills to ensure that as regional leadership and policy develops, quality delivery of health services throughout the lower levels of the systems is also underway.

Timeline

The first phase of the Tibet Health Capacity Building program commenced on 15 September 2012 and concluded on 30 September 2015. The second phase concluded on 30 September 2017.

Approach

Activities included working with the Tibet Regional Health Bureau to develop service guidelines for county hospitals and township clinics, and identifying and supporting trainers to deliver technical training to hospital and clinic staff in identified priority areas.

The program also worked with the Centre for Disease Control system at all levels to improve the functioning of laboratories as well as disease outbreak preparedness and response.