Our IGHN Partnerships Programme supports partnerships between Irish health institutions and their counterparts in low and middle-income countries to improve health outcomes.
The partnerships aim to improve health outcomes in low- and middle- income countries through long-term collaborations, usually focused on capacity building, clinical service delivery, and operational research. A key feature of institutional health partnerships (IHPs) is the provision of sustained peer-to-peer support, with the overarching goal of strengthening the health workforce and its institutions.
The programme evolved from the ESTHER Ireland programme, a well-established partnerships programme that was an effective and cost-effective model of the institutional health partnership approach. We are continuing the legacy of the ESTHER Ireland programme, taking ownership and setting a new strategic direction under the name of the IGHN Partnerships Programme.
The Partnerships Programme package of support to partnerships include networking and learning, global health education, fundraising, communications and documentation, MEAL including project and budget management, standard setting for partnerships and an accreditation process for quality of partnerships, and a small grants programme.
The model upon which our IGHN Partnerships Programme operates provides support and guidance for partnerships to improve their practice to achieve quality of partnership standards. A range of tools have been specifically developed to support the achievement of these standards including the EFFECt Tool, that guides discussions about the quality of your partnership and identifies potential areas for improvement. An accreditation tool allows partners to self-assess their adherence to each key principles for quality of partnership (as contained within the Charter for Quality of Partnership) and awarding accreditation acknowledges and showcases partnerships that have demonstrated the highest quality of partnership and reciprocity.
This approach aims to make a significant contribution to health outcomes in the low- and middle-income countries by addressing inequities in access and coverage while improving the quality of services through capacity building and institutional development.
The programme is gratefully funded by Irish Aid and supported through a strategic partnership with the Health Services Executive.
For any queries, please contact [email protected]
For historical information about ESTHER Ireland, please visit the ESTHER Ireland repository website at www.esther.ie
