PUBH5767: Child and Maternal Health 2024

Assessment 3: Health policy critique – Instructions

Due date: 4pm, Friday 24th May (Week 12)

Task:

The task for this assessment is to understand how two countries have developed and implemented a
similar health policy (or strategy or plan) relating to child and maternal health. You should compare
the context in which the policies were developed, the process that was undertaken to develop the
policies, the stakeholders that were involved in developing the policy, and the content of the policies
themselves. A template is provided below which you should use to structure your assignment. The
goal of the assessment is to encourage you to think critically about the different ways in which a
child and health policy might be developed and implemented, and the strengths and weaknesses of
different policy approaches.

In a separate document (“Case study options”) you will see the possible pairs of policies/countries
that you can write about.

The “Case study options” document gives a web address for where to find each of the policy
documents online. In addition to reading the policy documents themselves, you should do your own
research to find other documents on the web relating to the policy. The case study options were
chosen because, for each of the policies, there are various other documents online (news articles,
blog posts, journal articles, videos, supporting documents), that discuss the policies, which you
should use in your research for this assessment.

* Note: We use the word “policy” here in this instructions document, but some of the documents in
the case study options are more appropriately referred to as a “strategy”, “framework”, or “plan”.
You should use whichever terminology you think is best. During the semester we will discuss the
differences between policies, strategies, and plans, although often the distinction is blurry.

Unit objectives:

1. Explain how social, environmental and economic determinants contribute to child and
maternal health outcomes in low, middle and high-income countries
3. Evaluate child and maternal health initiatives for their appropriateness in addressing a range
of determinants in a culturally-capable manner

Submission:
 Submit your assessment as a single document (including appendices, if applicable) via LMS.
Detailed instructions:

1. Choose one of the pairs of policies/strategies in the “Case study options” document.

2. Read the policy documents themselves, and do your own research to understand the context,
development process, content, and strengths/weaknesses of the policies.

3. Write an essay of 3000 words (+/- 300 words) that is structured according to the table below. You
should not use this table in your document; rather, you should use the items in the left-hand column
as subheadings in your essay. This word count does not include the overall title or your reference list
(but does include any sub-headings throughout).

4. There is no specific requirement for you to quote or reference other documents, journal articles,
or grey literature (i.e., there is no minimum number of references), but if you do, you should cite
these references as you would for a formal publication using the Vancouver referencing style.

Essay section Suggested Possible

word marks
count

Objective Summarise and compare the purpose that the policies serve 100 words /5

Epidemiological Summarise and compare the epidemiological and public 300 words /10
and public health health contexts in which the policies were developed.
context - Summarise the relevant population health measures for
each country (e.g., child mortality rates, preterm birth
rates, etc.).
- How do these population health measures compare (a)
with each other, (b) with other countries in the
region/globally?

Background For each country, summarise the background or genesis of 200 words /10
the policy.
- Was there a preceding policy?
- What was the impetus for the policy (e.g., political
change, new research, advocacy)?

Development Compare the development process for each of the two 400 words /15
process policies.
- What process was used to develop the policy?
- What stakeholders (govt and non-govt) were involved in
the development of the policy/strategy?
- Was there any community participation or consultation?
- What evidence was generated or used to develop the
policy?
Discuss the strengths and weaknesses of the development
process used for each policy.

Stakeholders What stakeholders are expected to be involved in the 400 words /10
implementation of the policies?
- Who are the stakeholders and what are their roles and
responsibilities?
- Are these stakeholders at national, regional, or local
levels?
- Who is responsible for coordinating/leading activities?
 Compare the way in which each policy involves local
community members and organisations.

Content Summarise and compare the content of each policy. 500 words /15
- How is the focus of the two documents similar or
different
- How does the content of the policies reflect the context
of each country?

Link to global How do the policies reflect (or go beyond) global strategies 100 words /5
strategies around child and maternal health (e.g., WHO strategies or
guidance).
- Do the policies acknowledge these global strategies
(either explicitly or implicitly)?

Accountability How will the implementation of each policy be monitored? 400 words /10
- To whom are the implementors of the policy
accountable?
- Is there a performance monitoring framework included in
the policy (or available as a separate document)?
- Have evaluations of the policies already been
undertaken? (If so, what have these evaluations
reported?)

Overall strengths Compare the overall strengths and weaknesses of the two 600 words /15
and weaknesses policies.
of the policies - Given all that you have written in the preceding sections,
which of the two policies do you think is better, and why?

Additional marks for clarity, formatting, and referencing /5

Total marks /100