Students at the University of Oslo study health and policymaking in a global perspective

– The International Community Health (ICH) master’s degree is important because Norway is becoming more multicultural and diverse through immigration and international workers. It is important that students learn to look at health from both the international and local perspective, Hassan Njie says.

He is a PhD-student at the Department of Community Medicine and Global Health at the University of Oslo.

At the ICH-program, students study health systems, including and not limited to policymaking, financing, and health care service provision. They learn how it changes between different global contexts, drawing upon knowledge and experiences from the diverse student group at the program.

– During the covid-19 pandemic, we saw that an outbreak of a disease in one part of the world could have huge implications on global health. This calls for more investment in global health, and providing health care workers, service providers, and policy makers with the information they need to provide responsive health care services, Njie says.

– The goal of universal health coverage is to provide quality and affordable health care services for all, he continues.

– After graduating, students from the ICH-program can work in research and academic environment, in government, NGOs, and the private sector. In The Gambia, where I am from, almost all Gambians that studied ICH- program at UIO through the Quota scholarship work with international organizations like the World Health Organization (WHO) or in the public sector, Njie explains.

Students at the ICH-program take courses on global health, health systems and policies, and financing

Njie teaches several courses at the master’s program in International Community Health and for medical students.

– I teach health financing from a global health perspective, showing how health resources are raised, pooled, and strategically allocated in a prioritized manner particularly in a low- income setting, Njie says.

Njie also helps the master’s students to prepare their data for analysis, in preparation for their master’s theses.

– I show the students how to manage, clean, and validate their data, to make sure their analyses are done properly, Njie says.

The students also get a practical demonstration on how to prepare, clean and export data to SPSS or STATA, programs for statistical analysis.

– The ICH-students take many exciting courses on global health, which includes both the global north and global south perspective. After taking the courses, the students will be able to apply their knowledge and skills to their work in academia, the public or the private sector, in Norway and elsewhere, Njie says.

Njie works for the Ministry of Health in The Gambia

Before his doctoral studies, Njie works as a Program Manager at the Directorate of Planning and Information under the Ministry of Health in The Gambia. He works with different units, looking at policy and strategic issues, health financing, quality improvements, and more.

– Our work is primarily to support the Ministry of Health in policy formulation, developing strategies and interventions that will improve the health sector in The Gambia, he explains. 

Njie attained a master’s degree in Taiwan, with a focus on health financing.

– My studies were focused on health insurance schemes. I saw first-hand how this improved health care in Taiwan and wanted to champion this in The Gambia as well. My thesis contributed with evidence to support the current national health insurance scheme in The Gambia, he says.

Research on health financing reforms and universal health coverage in The Gambia

Njie is currently an externally funded PhD candidate at University of Oslo.

– The overarching theme of my PhD-project is universal health coverage. Universal health coverage is a global agenda and goal-ensuring that quality health services are available to everyone, regardless of their background or financial situation, he says.

– I am trying to find evidence that implementing a national health insurance scheme in The Gambia could help provide universal health coverage to its citizens, Njie says.

The results from the project will be used to inform and aid the government in The Gambia in their policy and decision-making processes.

– I am working on different aspects of health insurance scheme with a view to providing strong evidence for effective implementation. For instance, before a health insurance scheme is introduced, contributions (premium), co-payment and exemptions must be discussed. Also, provider payment mechanisms and pricing for various interventions should be negotiated with health care providers before implementation, Njie continues.

– I asked health care workers which system they prefer. The health care workers want to be reimbursed for the services they provide to patients, Njie explains.

– I am also looking at procedural fairness in health financing, and how decision- making should be guided and handled fairly and equitably. I looked at the involvement of the public and private sector, civil society, marginalized groups, and minority voices in decision-making, he says.

– The ultimate goal of my research is to provide strong evidence for policy makers to be able to introduce a well-resourced and sustainably managed national health scheme in The Gambia, he continues.

Students gain knowledge that can help countries improve their health systems

– Through the ICH master’s program, students acquire knowledge and skills that can be used to help not only low-income countries, but also high income countries, to improve their health systems, Njie says.

After graduating, many students move back to their respective countries, to work on improving health care.

– It is obvious some would continue staying in Norway, but I think majority would like to go back to their countries. I will go back home eventually to support my country, to work towards universal health coverage in The Gambia, and better health for all, Njie continues.

Through the ICH-program, students learn to apply a global lens on health systems, policies, financing, and service delivery.

– Every country is still feeling the effects of the covid-19 pandemic. We need to continue investing in global health through mutual and inclusive partnership onwards universal health coverage, Njie says.

– It is my hope that the government and public universities will explore opportunities to enable students and researchers outside the EU/EEC community to study in Norway.  We welcome students to consider our ICH master’s program from both the global south and north, he continues.