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Health Management Education

Dramatic changes in healthcare delivery systems throughout Central and Eastern Europe (CEE) and the New Independent States (NIS) have been realized in the years following the collapse of the former Soviet Union. These changes necessitate an equally dramatic reformation of health professions education-both for current and future clinicians and managers. Health reform has also highlighted the critical need for additional grounding in health policy for leaders throughout the region.

Since 1992, AIHA has conducted activities designed to strengthen health administration and management in the NIS and CEE. Workshops on management techniques, financing, and leadership skills for organizational leaders were conducted with the assistance of the Association of University Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA). These programs included a strong "train the trainers" component whereby NIS participants were given sufficient foundation in selected topics and in adult learning principles to share their knowledge with other managers in their respective countries.

Building on this experience and the success of its institution-based hospital partnership model, AIHA first established a program to develop and expand Health Management Education (HME) in 1995. As part of a strategy for advancing health sector reform, HME partnership efforts focus on designing and enhancing education of current and prospective administrators, policy makers, and clinicians at the undergraduate, graduate, and executive management levels. They also focus on developing strong faculties, analyzing national health policy, exploring methods of organizing and financing programs, and strengthening relationships within the healthcare community. Other important components of the HME agenda include establishing libraries and resource centers to provide administrators, policy makers, students, and the healthcare community with accurate and timely information on health policy, as well as supporting professional associations for health management practitioners.