National research for health system mapping in 5 countries in the Eastern Mediterranean region and perspectives on strengthening the systems.

Sir, Background The importance given to developing national systems for research for health is increasing rapidly around the world, especially following the Global Ministe-Cooperation Unit (RPC) of the World Health Organization's Regional Office for the Eastern Mediterranean (WHO/EMRO) published the results of a National Health Research System (NHRS) analysis that it had undertaken in 5 countries of the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region [1]. In 2007, a similar study was initiated to assess the NHRS in 10 other countries in the WHO Eastern Medi-terranean Region [2]. The 10-country study was a collaborative effort between the EMRO/RPC, the Council on Health Research for Development (COHRED), and the Health Ministers Council of the Gulf Cooperation Council States (GCC). Mapping To complement these previous 2 studies, WHO/EMRO supported COHRED to extend the NHRS mapping study to the remaining 8 member countries in the Region to be carried in 2009/2010. Equipped with the NHRS-assessment tool developed by COHRED, each participating country carried out their own assessment in the period leading up to presenting their results in a meeting held in Cairo, 20–21 September 2010, hosted by Egypt's National Research Centre (NRC), and organised by COHRED and the New Partnership for Africa's Development (NEPAD) North Africa Biosciences Network at NRC/Cairo. Focal points from 3 of the 5 participating countries, i.e. Afghanistan, Pakistan and Palestine, were able to provide updated information describing their own NHRS. Key regional actors that included Egypt's Ministry for Scientific Research and Ministry of Health and Population, as well as USAID's Health and Nutrition group, and researchers from NRC and other Egyptian institutions met to review the results from the 3 studies, extract lessons, and discuss the next steps to strengthen research for health and health research systems in the Region. The group also identified potentially interested partners and other resources needed to facilitate implementation of the next steps. Findings The main findings resulting from this initial mapping effort can be summarized as follows: All countries have a designated • structure in their ministries of health which has the overall responsibility for the governance of national health research. These structures are monitored by executive managers in Af-ghanistan and Palestine. In Pakistan, there is an elected Board of Governors constituted of federal divisions. Palestine and Iraq do not conduct a • formal evaluation of health research. The Syrian Arab Republic began such evaluation in 2009. The other countries have an annual evaluation. Evaluation reports …