Development of Health Systems Research and National HSR networking in Zimbabwe.

Health Systems Research (HSR) aims at improving the quality of health care delivery through health managers with a management tool for decision making. Since 1988, over 100 health cadres from provincial and district health teams, central hospitals and municipalities have received training in HSR methodology. This training has resulted in the implementation of 12 research projects with the results being used to solve immediate problems identified. The development of HSR in Zimbabwe has focused on training priority setting for essential health research and the development of infrastructure and local resource groups to sustain the initiative. The HSR unit in conjunction with the Medical Research Council of Zimbabwe (MRCZ) have developed a computerised databank for keeping track of all health and medical research conducted in the country. The databank is a mechanism for co-ordinating and promoting research through minimising duplication of research effort in the dissemination and utilisation of research findings. Prospects for HSR in Zimbabwe are good; further development requires adequate funding, networking of all research groups and a national commitment to build a critical mass of trained health research manpower at all levels.