The document discusses health research policy and priorities in Nepal. It defines health research and outlines the objectives of establishing a national health research system, including developing research priorities, policies, and linking research to health priorities. It describes the proposed organization structure for the national research system centered around the Nepal Health Research Council. The document sets forth strategies for evaluation and concludes by emphasizing the importance of following rules and considering various factors to better achieve research outcomes.

1. Health research policy and
priorities
PRESENTED BY: AJIT SUBEDI AND GROUPS
7th SEMESTER
BACHLLOR IN PHARMACY
KARNALI COLLAGE OF HEALTH SCIENCE
GAUSHALA,KATHMANDU

2. Research
Research as defined by the World
Health Organization “strategy on research for health as
the development of knowledge with the aim of
understanding health challenges and mounting an
improved response to them”. This definition, in the
research for health strategy, covers a spectrum of
research, which spans five generic areas of activity:
measuring the problem; understanding its cause(s);
elaborating solutions; translating the solutions.

3. Preliminary Introduction
It is an agency of the Public Health service established in
1990 to “provide indexing, abstracting ,translating , publishing
and other services leading to a more effective and timely
dissemination of information on research , demonstration
projects and evaluations with respect to health care
delivery…”
The Health Research System creates a systematic approach to
health research development. It is a system for
planning, coordinating, managing monitoring and evaluating
health research activities and resources for equitable national
development.

4. • The function of the Health Research Policy (NHRP) should
give a definite direction for the promotion, implementation,
management and utilization of all aspects of health research
in Nepal.
• The role of the policy is to provide health information to His
Majesty's Government (HMG) for evidence based health
policy formulation. .
• The policy promotes health research activities in its broader
dimensions with intersect oral and multi-disciplinary
participation.

5. • The policy assures networking and collaborating
among all the stakeholders in health research as well
as the utilization of health research findings. .
• The Health Research Policy should institutes the
National Health Research System.

6. Objectives of Health research system
• To develop a broad strategic vision for health research
including short- term and long- term health research
strategies.
• To develop a National Health Research Policy, Health
Research Agenda, and Health Research Priorities.
• To link health research to national and local health priorities.
• To develop standard procedures and a mechanism to ensure
ethics, equity, accountability and transparency in the health
research system.
• To promote coordination, collaboration, and partnership in
health research.

7. Functions of Health research system
Stewardship: Quality and effective leadership is required
to promote an efficient health research system.
Capacity development: Appropriately trained human
resources are essential for research promotion capacity
development. This training includes development skills
and ethical review skills. Development of a critical mass
of personnel in this area is essential. Institutional capacity
development in terms of research facilities (research
laboratory), educational/training institutions and centers
need to be further developed, sustained and networked.

8. • Knowledge management: The system will generate new
knowledge for health development and research findings will
be utilized for policy making to provide better health for all.
• Resource mobilization: This involves the proper
mobilization of human , financial, and other required
resources including the generation of funds.
• Networking/collaboration: A mechanism is established to
promote networking/collaboration among all stakeholders
involved in health research.

9. Organization Structure For
National Health Research System
Nepal Health Research Council (NHRC)
(Central body)
Executive Board (NHRC)
Implementing Body for NHRC
(Chairman/Member Secretary)

10. Committees
Ethical Review
Committees
As per the Ethical
Guidelines for Health
Research in Nepal
Resource
Mobilization Unit
Responsibilities for
Financial and
Personnel development
includes: MoH, MoF,NPC
Networking/collaborating partners
Refers to all stake holders involved in health
research .Includes all partners research
institutions, WHO,MOH,INGO’s Donors.
Research
Management Team
Responsibilities for
coordination, monitoring,
evaluation, and
utilization. Includes
officers from Research,
Adm, Fiscal. Library, and
partner Institutions

11. Health Research system policy statement
• The Health Research Policy strives for the
achievement of better health for all through health
research with an emphasis on equity, social justice
and ethics. The policy aims to establish linkages
between health research and the National Health
Policy of His Majesty's Government.
• The policy promotes health research in all aspects.
The policy seeks to ensure availability of human and
financial resources required for health research.

12. • This policy seeks to collaborate and network
with all major stakeholders involved in health
research, while at the same time, endeavoring
to promote inter-sectoral participation and
international linkages.
• In order to facilitate the success of this policy
it will be necessary to establish a National
Health Research System.

13. Strategies
• The Health Research Policy will function in
collaboration with the National Health Policy of the
Ministry of Health and the Science and Technology.
• The short term and long-term plan for the National
Health Research Policy will be developed and the
mechanism for monitoring and evaluation will be
strengthened.
• The health research capacity will be continually
developed and maintained to provide better health for all
with judicious utilization of available resources.

14. • The research policy will promote on-going development of
the health research culture by incorporating the core
curriculum for health research at the Bachelor Level health
science program and by providing health research grants and
awards as well as by conducting health system research
methodology training programs.
• The health research database will be improved by
networking/collaborating with all the stakeholders involved
in health research. Evidence based health research findings
will be utilized by policy makers.
• Linkages will be strengthened among all the
sectors, institutions, disciplines, and communities.

15. • Financial resources from HMG. INGO's, NGO's, donor
agencies and other sectors will be mobilized for health
research promotion.
• The National Health Research System will provide the
structure and function for networking/collaborating with
all health researcher/research institutes. The mechanism
for planning, coordinating and managing health research
resources and activities will be strengthened. At the
same time, emphasis will be given to policy/ system
analysis,
communication,
resource
flow
and
mobilization and management of resources.

16. Some of the policy aims
• To emphasize ethical practice in all health research
to achieve equity and social justice.
• To augment health researches in the priority areas set
by the National Health Policy and to provide advice
based on evidence to His Majesty's Government of
Nepal for formulating appropriate health policies.
• To promote health research in all aspects.
• To facilitate collaboration and networking with all
major stakeholders involved in health research at the
national level.

17. • To enable, support and sustain human,
financial, technical and other resources
required for health research.
• To promote inter/intra - sectoral participation
in health research.
• To secure international linkages and
collaboration for health research. To establish a
National Health Research System.

18. Research priorities
• Research priority setting is acknowledged to be a key
function of Health research systems and is perceived to be
an important process in terms of ensuring the alignment of
research funding with national evidence needs[5]. Ideally
health policy and systems research (HPSR) priorities would
emerge through priority setting processes.
• However priority setting for health research is often not
performed well - or not performed at all. A survey by the
WHO of more than 550 policy makers and almost 1, 900
researchers in 13 low- and middle-income countries found
that about a third of policy-makers researchers and users of
research interviewed said that there was either no

19. rational process to set health research priorities in their
country or that they were unaware of how priorities were
identified or set [6].
• “A workshop on Priority Setting Methodologies in Health
Research was held at the World Health Organization in
Geneva, Switzerland from 10th -11th April 2008. The
overall workshop objective was to develop practical
proposals for user friendly methodologies for priority setting
in health research for application in developing countries."
• Systematic investigation and development of guidance on
how stakeholder engagement affects research priority
identification.

20. Setting priorities
• A Priority Research Agenda will be developed in tune with
the National Programs, and relevant to national and local
needs, based on the following principles:
a. Responsiveness:
Current and emerging issues such as Demographic and
Epidemiologic Transition, emerging scientific developments
such as Modern Biotechnology (Genomics, Human Genetics,
New Drug Development, Stem Cell research), Health system
research, Health Economics, Behavioural and social issues,
Emerging and re-emerging infections, etc. and the priorities of
the National Health plan will guide the Research Agenda.

21. b.Integration:
The integration of the National Research Plan with the
priorities and aspiration of society is essential for the ready
utilization of the results of research.
c. Multidisciplinarity and Linkages:
Health Research, in addition to the field of
Health,
intersectorally
encompasses
Education,
Environment,
Ecology,
Social
and
Behavioural, Sciences, Population, Agriculture, Trade, Comme
rce, in addition to the physical, chemical, biological and
mathematical sciences. This multidisciplinarity will be
reflected in the national health research plan.

22. d. Social and Behavioral Sciences and Health Economics:
In order to make meaningful health policies, plans and
programs and to make medical technology useful and
accessible to the community, it is essential to understand the
community's perception of health problems, health services
and health care providers. Social and Behavioral sciences and
Health Economics are integral to health research and will be
actively promote.
e. Focus on vulnerable and disadvantaged populations:
There shall be a special emphasis on vulnerable groups like
scheduled
castes,
tribal
populations,
unorganized
labor, women, children, adolescents.

23. Strategy for evaluation of the Health Research
System
• In view of the plurality of the health research system, the
strategy for assessment must have a much broader
perspective in dealing with multiple stakeholders of
research funding agencies, leaders, managers and research
investigators in the system. The proposed research
architecture is expected to contribute to the strategic vision
and goals of the health research system that can be assessed
against a set of criteria.
• The following criteria are proposed :

24. • Robustness: (property of being strong, withstand adverse
condition)
• Competence and Effectiveness: (ability to do something in
effective manner)
• Credibility and Accountability:
• Ability to Champion the cause of Health Research for
Development:
• Ability to Generate Research Funding:
• Research Governance and Management:
• Cost-effectiveness:(productive in relation to)

25. Conclusion
• As a whole this gives us a good vision and
knowledge about the heath policies and
research.Hence different rules are to be followed
during all these process from governmental as well
as nongovernmental sectors to produce the proper
outcomes in the research of particular topics. Besides
these researcher should concerned about various
factors that are not visible in order to achieve the
better performance .

26. Reference :
1.National Health Research Policy of Nepal.rtf
2.Priority setting and health policy and systems research
Michael K Ranson* and Sara C Bennett
http://www.health-policy-systems.com/content/7/1/27
3.An overview of methodology and high level analysis of WHO led
health research priority setting exercises.
Author: Roderik F. Viergever
Edited by: Robert Terry and Malebona P. Matsosoterryr@who.int
4.National Health Research Policy of Nepal
Published by:
Nepal Health Research Council (NHRC)
E-mail: nhrc@healthnet.org.np Website: http://www.nhrc.org.np
RamshahPath, Kathmandu

27. 5. Working Group on Priority Setting: Priority setting for health research: lessons from
developing countries. Health policy and planning 2000, 15(2):130-6.
6. World Health Organization: World Report on Knowledge for Better Health:
Strengthening Health Systems. Geneva:WHO; 2004.

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