SDC-Update: Health Master

The transformation and development of the Romanian health care system suffers among others from a lack of managerial skills in health institutions both at local and central levels. Through courses in public health management, this project seeks aiming to create a pool of public health and health management specialists.

Delivered jointly by Swiss and Romanian experts, the course topics include health economy, health management, social marketing, quality care promotion and communication within health organisations. The participants are managers from the health institutions at local and departmental level in three Romanian counties (Neamt, Valcea and Arad).

Ultimately, the project undertakes to address recognised weaknesses in the Romanian health system, e.g.:

limited capacity for policy development and analyses among system stakeholders;
incoherent and often contradictory laws and regulations;
lack of active support for local initiatives as well as the absence of public information and advocacy.

A first “orientation phase” started in 2001 with a collaboration between the “Sezione Sanitaria” of the Department of public health and social affairs of the Canton of Ticino in Switzerland and the Department of public health and management of the “Carol Davila” University in Bucharest for the Master courses in public health and management.

In the second phase (March 2002 – February 2004) international experts implemented the modules that have been elaborated during phase I for the Master in Bucharest, with the following objectives:

contribution to the graduate education in public health and management of services through an empowerment of theoretical, technical and practical knowledge in the fields of health economy and services management
intensification of the collaboration at the beginning of the modules: each module is followed up and case studies are prepared for the group work sessions
contribution to the constitution of a curricula of education, based on a credit system gained in attending courses available in different institutions

In a third phase from September 2005 to March 2007, the Master was “exported” in the regions. The classes have been provided by Romanian professors and the role of the international experts was to evaluate the modules. However, the content of the Master was similar to the one in the previous phase, with small adaptations to the regional needs and specificities.

Financial volume:

First phase funded by SDC with CHF 85'000.-
Second phase funded by SDC with CHF 290’000.-
Third phase funded by SDC with CHF 213'000.-

Time frame:

Orientation phase of the project: March 2001 – February 2002.
Second phase of the project: March 2002 – February 2004
Third phase of the project: September 2005 – March 2007

Contact

Sezione Sanitaria Canton Ticino, Mrs. Annamaria Fahrlander, 5 Via Orico, CH-6500, Bellinzona, Switzerland, Tel: +41 91 814 3071, E-mail: annamaria.fahrlander@ti.ch