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Table 3 Main maternal and child health (MCH) research data by country 2012a

From: Mapping the use of research to support strategies tackling maternal and child health inequities: evidence from six countries in Africa and Latin America

Country

Top MCH research institutions

Active MCH research projects and production

MCH research funding

MCH research utilization in policies and programs

Ghana

• Ghana Health Service Research and Development Division’s four research centres: NHRC, KHRC, DHRC and OCRC

• University of Ghana Medical School

• University of Ghana School of Public Health

• Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research of the University of Ghana

• Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tamale Teaching Hospital

• 216 health active research projects between 2009 and 2011

• 50 on MCH

• 40 scientific papers on MCH in PubMed between 2009 and 2012

• 21 on MCH-equity

• MASCOT online survey identified 14 articles in peer review journals

Over 90% of research funding from external donors

• MCH research use in the development of MCH policies and programs to reduce inequalities is average, most of the time in instrumental manner

Malawi

• University of Malawi

• College of Medicine

• University of North Carolina Project

• Malaria Alert Centre

• Center for Reproductive Health

• Dignitas International

• Malawi Institute of Management

• 71 health research projects between 2009 and 2012; 33 on MCH

Mostly external funding from international agencies and NGOs

• Limited capacity within the Ministry of Health to gather and use research findings

• Research data gathered in Malawi is often analyzed and used in other countries

Mozambique

• No responsible organism in MCH research

• Few facilities have access to studies or documented research in MCH

• Very scarce MCH research

• No specific data available

Mostly external funding from international agencies and NGOs

• Studies commissioned by WHO have been instrumental in the development of strategies to reduce maternal mortality

• Articles resulting from research conducted for other purposes have been used to support the formulation of policies in symbolic manner

Brazil

• IMIP

• IPESQ

• Epidemiologia UFPEL

• Observatório Sobre Iniquidades em Saúde

• Ministério da Saúde

• Faculdade de Saúde Pública

• 90 references related to research on inequities from 2009 to 2012

Mostly public funding (around 70% in 2007)

• The programs and policies are based on a retroactive use of research; past data and programs are used as support, most of the time in conceptual manner

Universities and research institutions were the main recipients (55.5%)

Chile

• Universidad de Chile (UCH)

• Catholic University of Chile (PUC)

• The University of Santiago

• Universidad Austral de Chile

• Universidad de Concepción

From 2009 to 2012 identifying 370 references in MCH and inequalities

In 2010 FONDECYT funded about 80% of research

• National and international evidence is used in instrumental way

• The principal source of information is the expertise of key actors

18% FONDES

2% FONIS

Mexico

• National Institute of Public Health

• Mexican Institute of Social Security – Distrito Federal

• Population Council-Mexico

• Mexican Institute of Social Security – Guadalajara

• El Colégio de México

• National Institute of Pediatrics

• Universidad Autónoma de Guerrero

The top ten institutions reported 103 active MCH research projects between 2009 and 2012

Main research funding comes from CONACYT and other national initiatives

• The scientific production between 2009 and 2011 shows a clear tendency to address topics of direct interest for researchers or institutions, it was used in instrumental way

  1. a Source: Based on MASCOT project Final Reports. Available from: (http://www.mascotfp7.eu/mascot-resources/reports/)