Combining health and social protection measures to reach the ultra ...

Innovation
Towards the development of a
Health Innovation Strategy for
South Africa
Article by Glaudina Loots
South Africa is currently at a significant set of crossroads
due to the great need for health innovation to combat
the tremendous health challenges in our diverse
society. The health needs should be addressed in such a way
that the serious inequalities of our society at large are
encompassed and negated. This means that the medication
that is developed should be appropriate, accessible and
culturally acceptable to the population. This issue then needs
to take into account various major challenges such as
appropriate health medication, health infrastructure and also
appropriate needs-oriented research. This article will give a
broad and brief overview of the progress towards the
establishment of a Health Innovation Strategy for South Africa
from the perspective of the South African national government
Department of Science and Technology.
The meaning and need for a Health
Innovation Strategy
The continuous need for new drugs, vaccine and diagnostics
and new processes in engineering and manufacturing, as well
as new approaches to health systems and services within
developing countries 1 is driving the need for the development
of health innovation strategies. Within this context there is a
need for an overarching framework that can facilitate this
process – this is where an appropriate Health Innovation
Strategy fits into the picture.
An area of global concern is that only 10% of the global
health research and development budget is being spent on
90% of the global health problems 2 . This unequal flow of
resources has since been referred to as the “10/90 gap”.
Health in the developing countries is no longer the concern of
the developed countries; however, there is growing recognition
internationally that the health of more than 80% of the world
is a matter of concern to all who inhabit this world. One of the
crucial factors responsible for this “10/90” gap is the lack of
integration of health research into national and international
research systems.
India, Brazil, China and South Africa are currently seen as
the leading innovative developing countries. Of the four, South
Africa’s Health Research and Development (R&D) budget
as a percentage of public health expenditure is the lowest and
falls behind that of India and Brazil. For South Africa to be on
par with the other three countries, a concerted effort needs to
be made to increase the government R&D expenditure.
It is increasingly being recognized that health research exists
within the broader context of research systems which, in turn,
function within the specific socio-political and economic
context of the relevant country 3 .
Similarly, health innovation systems operate within a given
country’s education, manufacturing, research and
development system – guided, naturally, by regulatory
systems, intellectual property policies and market forces,
domestically and internationally.
It is within this complex context that the South African
government and, in particular, the Department of Science and
Technology, is engaged in establishing a national framework
that will enable research, development and innovation.
Research, development and innovation
within the South African context
The National Research and Development Strategy (2002) 4
(NRDS) in South Africa was adopted by Parliament as a
strategy geared towards the establishment of the necessary
enabling environment. The NRDS recognizes the complex
interplay and the synergies that can be created through coordination
between sector specific research systems and the
National System of Innovation that includes the universities,
the various national science councils, government and the
private sector.
The NRDS sees the Department of Science and Technology
(DST) playing a strong role with regard to health research and
health technology in South Africa. Health-related research
should soften the devastation caused by diseases.
The NRDS recognizes that the following issues, although
not exhaustive, should form the core of the health research
effort:
✜ Understanding the social impact of disease.
✜ Creating an environment and technologies to reduce the
effect of poverty on the spread of disease.
✜ Developing care and support strategies.
✜ Understanding the challenges in providing access to
prevention and care measures.
✜ Developing innovative preventative strategies.
✜ Developing novel therapeutic regimes, including the
utilization of indigenous knowledge.
✜ Developing preventive and therapeutic HIV/AIDS vaccines.
076 ✜ Global Forum Update on Research for Health Volume 4