Asian Network Progress
The five countries comprising the Asian Network — Vietnam, Thailand, Bangladesh, China and India — have begun to organize information-sharing efforts to catalyze health profession education reform in their own countries and regionally. Bui Thu Ha, MD, PhD, vice dean of Hanoi School of Public Health, is serving as regional coordinator, a role that will be rotated with a member of Thailand’s team. Thailand is preparing a situation analysis for Health Education Reform, and is piloting a new survey instrument in July, conducting face-to-face interviews and site visits in Khon Kaen. In August Thailand will convene a regional meeting to discuss the survey.
The Vietnam team is compiling case studies of innovations from each country. Vietnam’s Ministry of Health has assigned Hanoi School of Public Health to develop a proposal for health education reform in Vietnam. After completion of the situation analysis, the ministry will decide on next steps. China, which has launched its own reform Commission, is actively preparing its own China report.
India has focused on overall public health education and plans to summarize and share its consultation activities with the network. On 27-28 May, the Indian Institute of Public Health presented a regional consultation on strengthening human resources for public health in India. The Public Health Foundation of India organized a national consultation on MPH Program Development in India on 15-16 June.
The contact people for each of the country teams are:
China: Prof. DONG Zhe
Vietnam: Prof. Bui Thu Ha
Thailand: Prof. Pisake Lumbiganon
India: Prof. Lalit Dandona
Bangladesh: Prof. Shah Abdul Latif
The research group includes: Prof. Wang Qing (China), Prof. Pisake Lumbiganon (Thailand), Dr. Pham Viet Cuong (Vietnam), Prof. Tim Evans (Bangladesh) and Prof. Sanjay Zodpey (India).
See also: Asian Network Formed to Catalyze Reform