DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH SYSTEMS MANAGEMENT

The Department of Health Systems Management is one of three academic departments in the School of Public Administration and Management at Mzumbe University. The Department offers one Bachelor degree and two Masters programmes; which are Bachelor of Health Systems Management (BHSM), Master of Science in Health Monitoring and Evaluation (MSc HME), and Master of Health Systems Management (MHSM). The Bachelor of Health Systems Management is a three-year programme designed to equip students with managerial skills to serve in both public and private health care organizations. The Master of Health Systems Management is a two-year programme designed to orient the students on different managerial skills to govern and manage the health system.

In 2015, Mzumbe University through the Department of Health Systems Management in collaboration with the University of California- San Francisco (UCSF launched a Centre of Excellence in Health Monitoring and Evaluation (CoEHME), the first of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa (http://coehme.mzumbe.ac.tz/). The Centre of Excellence aims to contribute to teaching, research and dissemination of knowledge and expertise in the field of monitoring and evaluation in Tanzania and beyond. Among others, the Centre offers Master of Science in Health Monitoring and Evaluation and related short-courses.

Master of Science in Health Monitoring & Evaluation

The MSc. in Health Monitoring and Evaluation was established in 2013. The programme provides students with graduate level education in the discipline of health monitoring and evaluation. The programme is designed to equip students with the knowledge, skills and competencies required for effective job performance as Monitoring and Evaluation Specialists within health-based organizations. In addition, the programme is designed to build students’ capacity in the designing and implementing M&E frameworks and orients them to the application of these components to respond to organizational problems related to information and programmes, with a focus of using M&E to improve the quality of both.

This is a two master programme that requires students to complete three semesters of coursework and a Monitoring & Evaluation Field Project, which serves as the programme’s dissertation. The M&E Field Project requires that students to partner with a health service organization, identify M&E needs within that organization, and develop a field project that will respond to one of these needs. Students are required to present their project report orally and in writing to the Department and School for review and assessment.

Master of Health Systems Management

The Master of Health Systems Management is a eighteen months’ programme designed to provide students with knowledge and skills through a mix of multi-disciplinary courses, namely, Epidemiology& Biostatics, Health Systems Research, Health financial planning and budgeting, managing health Legal aspects (Law), Health Economics, Managing Human Resources for Health, health planning and policy, Health Psychology, strategic management and marketing for health services. Also, the programme avails the candidates with the opportunity for field attachment, which provides them with the avenue of practising or reflecting what they have learnt in the class to the real situation of work as health managers/administrators.

Bachelor of Health Systems Management

This is a three years’ programme designed to provide undergraduate students with knowledge, skills and competence necessary for middle level managers who want to pursue careers within the public and private health sectors. It is a professionally tailored to meet the growing demand of well-trained and skilled health managers who can make significant contribution to the development of the health sector at all levels in national economies. The programme has taken on board the current development in the Public and Private Sector service provision from systems approach.

The program offers the candidates an opportunity to stay for about five months in organization for field attachment. Field attachments provide them with the avenue of practising what they have learnt in the class to the real situation of work as future administrators and managers.

Short courses offered by Department and Centre

  1. The Use of Monitoring and Evaluation for Quality and Programme Improvement in the Health Sector

The purpose of this course is to orient participants to health monitoring and evaluation and the use of M&E for quality and programme improvement.

  1. Data Management and Analysis in the Health Sector

Data management and analysis are major components of monitoring and evaluation and are critical skills for M&E and other health professionals. This course is designed to equip participants with the necessary skills to manage data and conduct simple analyses for reporting and decision making. The course focuses on data management and analysis using Microsoft Excel and District Health Information System (DHIS2) and incorporates both research and routinely available health-related data.

  1. Short courses on Health Information Systems (HMIS, HRHIS/TIIS, and DHIS 2)

Mzumbe University in collaboration with Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) has long time collaboration in running trainings such as Human Resources for Health Information Systems and Training Institution Information Systems for the Regional and Council officials working within the health sector. The courses are designed to impart the participants with the competences and practical skills for using various softwares to inform decision-making.

  1. Basic Health Facility Leadership and Management

This course aims to enhance managers of health facilities with managerial skills in terms of management of human resources for health, planning, monitoring and evaluation of health facility-based programmes and interventions and, basics of financial, logistics and information management. The acquired knowledge is useful in initiatin,managing and sustaining quality change.

  1. Total Quality Management in Health Facility, Project and Program

The aim of this course is to introduce participants to the philosophy and principles of Total Quality Management (TQM) in the health facilities, health projects/programs. The course is also designed to provide participants with knowledge and skills to apply various principles and techniques of TQM to improve performance of healthcare organisations.

East African Journal of Applied Health Monitoring and Evaluation (EAJAHME)

The Centre of Excellence in Health Monitoring and Evaluation also houses the East African Journal of Applied Health Monitoring and Evaluation (EAJAHME). This is an international peer-review journal that accepts original, high quality articles focusing on applied experiences of monitoring and evaluation (M&E) in the health sector in Africa, with a particular focus on East Africa, as well as articles based on health-related M&E experiences from outside of Africa but which will provide useful comparative lessons. The EAJAHME is an online English-language journal established in 2017 that publishes high-quality articles on applied experiences of M&E in the health sector in Africa and beyond. The journal adheres to high standards of scholarly publications including double-blind peer review http://eajahme.com/.

Annual Monitoring & Evaluation Best Practice Conference

The Annual Monitoring & Evaluation Best Practice Conference (AMEBPC) is designed to provide a platform for continuous sharing of best practices in Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E). It attracts participants across the globle. The journal seek to strengthen the institutional and individual capacity to generate and use quality data for evidence-based planning and decision-making in the health sector. The aim of annual conference is to share the current context, novel contributions, best practices and lessons learned in the use of M&E data for programme improvement in Tanzania and neighboring countries. Three conferences have been organized since 2017. Details of these conferences can be accessed at https://coehme.mzumbe.ac.tz/conference/.

Collaborations

The Department of Health Systems Management has been enjoying both international and national collaborations. The collaborations include those with higher learning institutions, research institutions and Ministries. Currently, the department is collaborating with the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) and University of Groningen from The Netherlands, Ministry of Health Community Development, Gender, Elderly and Children, President’s Office-Regional Administration and Local Government Health Services Department, University of Dodoma, Muhimbili University of Health and Allied Sciences, Ifakara Health Institute, and Tanzania Training Centre or International Health.

Address

For more infomation contact
The Dean,
School of Public Administration and Management,
P.O.Box 1,
Mzumbe, Morogoro.
Email: This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.,
Website: sopam.mzumbe.ac.tz