Transcript Document

Developing City Wide Equity Gauges:
Rationale and Pitfalls.
Pierre Ngom
African Population and Health Research Center (APHRC)
Population Council, Nairobi
The World is becoming increasingly urban
Good News, BUT……..
In SS-Africa, Cities are not Engines for Growth
• Between 1970 and 1995, African urban
population grew by 4.7% per year, while
GDP dropped by 0.7% per year
• Industrialization did not accompany the
African urban boom
SOURCE: WORLD DEVELOPMENT REPORT 1999/2000
Poverty is sky-rocketing in urban areas:
THE CASE OF KENYA
60
52
Percent
50
45
53
50
49
48
40
29
30
26
20
10
0
Kenya
Rural Areas
1992
Urban Areas
1997
Nairobi
Mortality is higher among the urban poor
The urban poor have less access to health services
City-wide Health Equity Gauges to:
• Measure inequalities in health status and
health care between the urban poor and
other urban residents. Comparison with
other national sub-populations (eg., rural
areas) may be useful
• Raise awareness about above inequalities
in order to inform and influence policy
Methodological Pitfalls to Avoid:
1. The 1000 Data Sources Trap: data gullibility does
not pay. Use a few relevant and comparable data
sets.
2. The Mathusalem Trap: avoid old data, unless you
have comparable recent ones.
3. The Einstein Trap: do not be over-sophisticated.
Choose indicators that you can easily interpret to
policy-makers and program implementers.
Partnering is important
1. Team up with partners who are concerned
with health equity issues and who have been
dealing with it. Avoid partners who will not
listen, and who have no influence.
2. Do not put the cart before the horse: involve
all key partners of the city-wide equity gauge
from start.
Have a Clear Work Plan
1. Always plan ahead: Line up the issues you
would like to address in a given period.
2. Have a Strategy: Define the means you will
rely on to achieve the above goals:
workshops, media materials, etc.
3. Be transparent: Clearly define the role of
each partner, share all documents related to
the project with all partners.
Thank you