Health Management

The MSc Health Management and Economics (HME) Programme supports the Academy’s mission by equipping students with a comprehensive set of management knowledge and skills along-with the understanding of planning, financing and economic evaluation tools and techniques for improved management of health care services.

The overall aim of this program is to enhance management capacity of the participants in order to improve the health service management of the country.

During these two years of studies, the students will be familiarized with essential components of public health, health systems, fundamental principles of management, financing, and human resource management. Overall objective of this program is to develop knowledge and skills to address the managerial and administrative issues of Public and Private sector health settings at all levels. Main objectives of this program are,

* To strengthen local capacity to learn and apply management principles and techniques in health sector policy and     management.

* To improve decision-making process in health services management.

* To prepare a pool of health managers and health economists in the country for improved health care system.

After successfully completing this program students should be able to

• Take on leadership roles in health planning, management and decision-making in health sector.

• Analyse and manage the problems being faced by the health managers in routine as well as in special circumstances.

• Apply the management functions such as planning, organizing, staffing controlling and evaluating interventions in health care settings.

• Construct budgets, undertake financial costing and cost effectiveness of healthcare services.

• Evaluate different economic approaches for better priority setting in health care.

• Appraise the role of effective health care financing and improved service delivery at all levels.

After completion of this specialized health management programme students can expect to find placement in public sector organizations, Planning Commission of Pakistan, private sector organizations including for-profit, not-for-profit, research institutions, hospitals, academic institutions, pharmaceutical companies and other development agencies.

MSc HME complements the diversified programme portfolio of the Health Services Academy.  It will equip students with the necessary knowledge and skills to analyze public health care needs design and manage systems to for these needs, including the needs of the poor, and health system shortfalls with the objective to achieve efficiency, equity and sustainability in health systems. This Master’s degree will provide students with a range of career options within the health system.  MSc HME is designed to equip students with the conceptual skills from both the macro and the micro planning perspectives.  Students will learn to understand health systems designs and challenges, while learning methodological approaches to address future challenges.  The programme incorporates the practical skills and theoretical foundations as well as most recent state-of-the-art innovations in the realm of management sciences methodology.  The Health Services Academy is one of the key institutions for public health research in Pakistan having research linkages across the globe, which is ideally suited to run the programme and to promote academic excellence.  Critical inquiry will be encouraged in study and research.  As health systems impinge on the economic, social and cultural environment, the skills acquired will enable students to actively and creatively engage in the developmental agenda.

In the first semester, the curriculum emphasizes basic public health sciences, essential and applied quantitative skills while second and third semesters focus on courses in management and economics and financial management. Student’s specialization will be based on their dissertation in either health management or health economics.  MSc HME adopts a discipline-based approach to address the core competencies. The courses will be taught through a semester system in which a minimum of four courses will be taught in an integrated manner. The first semester curriculum provides exposure to the core discipline of public health. The second and third semester’s curriculum provides advanced training in health management focusing on areas common to disciplines and training in management as well as economics.  In the fourth semester, all students have to undertake dissertation. The dissertation integrates knowledge, skills and methods in a professionally relevant practical context.  Students are also encouraged to become involved in the institutional research. HSA’s Field Demonstration Area and collaboration with other related Organizations will provide an excellent opportunity for supervised, mentored practical experiences while addressing the health needs of Pakistan and the region.

The MSc HME degree programme extends up to twenty-four (24) months comprising of four semesters. The first three semesters are dedicated to course work and the fourth semester culminates in MSc dissertation.  All semesters are followed by semester break.  In the fourth semester every student has to carry out research and submit written report for the appraisal from the internal and external supervisors. The total programme consists of 60 credits. English is medium of instruction and examination for MSc HME.

The purpose of offering short certificate courses is to familiarize health care professionals with basics of Health Management, Leadership development in Health Sector, Health Planning, Decision Making, Health Care Quality Management, Health Financing, Health Care costing and Budgeting. The targeted audience for this course are personnel from the

(i) Provincial and Federal Health Departments.

(ii) Provincial and Federal Planning Departments.

(iii) Cabinet and Finance Division.

(iv) Planning and Development Division.

(v) Ministry of Health.

(vi) Parliamentarians.

(vii) University and college students.

(viii) Media persons related to social sector development and reforms.

(ix) Social sector development analysts.

(x) International Organizations and.

(xi) Non-Governmental Organizations.