On December 14th, 2023, a gathering of the research consortium and program stakeholders in Islamabad, Pakistan, marked a significant step towards preparing for the next phase of our research. The Consultative Meeting on the KFW Implementation Research Project brought together representatives from the Social Health Protection Initiative (SHPI), the German Development Bank (KfW), management4health (M4H), Khyber Medical University (KMU), Hochschule Bonn-Rhein-Sieg (H-BRS), FAU Erlangen-Nürnberg (FAU), and Heidelberg Institute for Global Health (HIGH), united by a common goal: strengthening collaboration for improving healthcare delivery and access, through the upcoming OPC (Outpatient Care) scheme.
Dr. Zohaib Khan‘s (KMU) warm welcome and a round of introductions laid the foundation for a productive exchange of ideas. In her opening speech as the guest of honour Dr. Masuma Zaidi from KfW stressed the importance of research to accompany social health protection practice and that the German government provides independent and additional resources for it. More detailed presentations began with Dr. Irum Shaikhsharing valuable updates on m4h’s activities in the past years as well as future plans. This was followed by Dr. Zohaib Khan who shared the research team’s outputs, keeping everyone informed about the project’s progress. Prof. Andreas Landmann from FAU then outlined the future plans, reaffirming the commitment to policy relevance and knowledge sharing. The research consortium over the next two years will continue to provide input to the implementing partners based on the RE-AIM framework, examining Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation and Maintainance aspects of the scheme. An open discussion re-affirmed that scientific evidence can underscore the priority of health for all governments, independent of political affiliation.
After a brief tea break, Prof. Simona Helmsmueller from H-BRS introduced the DEval project, a complementary rigorous impact evaluation of the scheme. H-RBS and FAU will collaborate with KMU to collect data for this project, in synergy with the current activities of adding another layer of expertise and strengthening the research consortium. All participants appreciated the design of the project and expressed interest in its next stages. Finally, Mr. Raheel Shahab from KMU presented the vital issue of data acquisition and sharing between the project partners outlining strategies for secure and efficient exchange.
The activities culminated in a Need Mapping, gathering feedback on the most useful research questions from a stakeholder perspective. Dr. Khalid Rehman from KMU facilitated a brainstorming exercise, organizing the discussion around the five dimensions of the RE-AIM framework (Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, Maintenance). The recommendations shared by the participants were collected and will be considered for the next phase of the project, further contributing to the relevance of the research. Dr. Riaz Tanoli, CEO of the SHPI, closed the meeting emphasizing the importance of evidence-based policymaking and underscored policymakers’ openness to considering research findings, paving the way for impactful policies.
By bringing together diverse expertise and perspectives, the meeting has laid a solid foundation for the next phase of research, providing evidence amidst and after the introduction of the OPC scheme. It also strengthened the joint commitment of all stakeholders, which is a requirement for producing relevant research results.
