Mobility and Health Workshop in South Africa: sharing experiences

2008-12-04

The workshop is a culmination of a 2 year IFRTD led international programme of networked research that has been examining the nexus between transport and health outcomes in rural areas.  Results from the research indicates that poor quality of road infrastructure, absence of appropriate and affordable transport services, long distances to services and inappropriate methods of carrying people requiring medical help often prevent the optimisation of the benefits in health sector investments.

These findings are consistent with the results of other studies that show the significance of cost and distance as barriers to rural communities’ access to antenatal care and other preventative health care services such as vaccinations and family planning. Linking health care to an appropriate transport system and better coordination between the health and transport sectors are important ingredients to the attainment of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) of reducing child mortality and combating HIV/AIDS.  The link is also relevant for reducing maternal mortality where little progress has been made and where improved mobility and access could mean the difference between life and death.  The  need for timely and highly responsive health care services is made more urgent by the HIV/AIDS crisis in many countries.  Home-based care services are increasingly becoming an important way of responding to the pandemic.  A well managed mobility system is an important element in the provision of effective home based care services.

The workshop will be an opportunity for some of the researchers from the Eastern and Southern Africa region to present some of their findings. To enrich the sharing of experiences and knowledge on this issue, there will also be presentations from a variety of countries on some of the initiatives that are showing innovative ways of overcoming the mobility and transport problems in rural health delivery.  Showcasing some of these good practices will provide a good reference point for influencing policy makers in paying more attention to the transport inputs required in health care delivery

Workshop objectives

• To present results of some of the research on Mobility and Health carried out by IFRTD
• To share practical experiences on local transport solutions in accessing health care services in remote or underserved locations
• To provide an opportunity for interaction between practioners, researchers and selected policy makers.
• To agree on a common policy advocacy agenda and platform on health and transport issues

Expected workshop outputs include:
Development of an advocacy agenda to encourage stronger transport and health sector linkages

A publication on key links between health and transport, and existing good practices.