Better health and ageing for all Australians

Pacific Senior Health Officials Network

The objective of the Network is to strengthen linkages between the Australian Department of Health and Ageing and Pacific Ministries of Health with the aim of supporting health systems strengthening in the region.

In this section:

CONTACTS

>> Pacific Members' Contact Details
>> PSHON Secretariat Contact Details







The Pacific Senior Health Officials Network (PSHON) was established in 2004 to facilitate communication between senior health officials in the Pacific and Australia with the aim of supporting health systems governance and the development and implementation of sound and effective health policies in the Pacific region. The PSHON Secretariat, provided by the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA), receives funding support for PSHON activities from AusAID’s Pacific Public Sector Linkages Program.

The Members’ Area provides access to information for PSHON members.

PSHON Annual Meetings
2011 PSHON Meeting
2010 PSHON Meeting
2009 PSHON Meeting
2008 PSHON Meeting
2007 PSHON Meeting
2006 PSHON Meeting (December)
2006 PSHON Meeting (March)
2005 PSHON Meeting
2004 PSHON Meeting
PSHON Steering Committee
2011 Steering Committee Teleconference
2010 Steering Committee Teleconference
2009 Steering Committee Teleconference
2008 Steering Committee Teleconference
PSHON Activities
Policy Partnerships Initiative
PSHON Newsletter
PSHON Activities Archive

PSHON Meetings

PSHON Annual Meetings are chaired by a senior member of the DoHA Executive and co-chaired by a Pacific Island member on a rotating basis. The CEO/Secretary of Health and an emerging manager from each PSHON Member country are invited to attend. A representative from the New Zealand Ministry of Health also participates in the meetings.
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PSHON Meeting November 2011

Agenda (PDF 76 KB)
Participant List (PDF 66 KB)
Draft Record of Meeting (PDF 345 KB)

PSHON Meeting September 2010

PSHON Meeting October 2009

PSHON Meeting November 2008

PSHON Meeting August 2007

PSHON Meeting December 2006

PSHON Meeting March 2006

PSHON Meeting July 2005

PSHON Meeting November 2004

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PSHON Steering Committee

The PSHON Steering Committee was established following the August 2007 PSHON meeting and provides a mechanism to further engage Pacific members in the strategic direction of the PSHON. The membership of the Steering Committee is revised every two years. Nominations are sought from members one month prior to the annual PSHON meeting. The Steering Committee meets annually by teleconference.

Members of the Steering Committee for 2012 and 2013 are:
  • Deputy Secretary, Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing (Chair)
  • Permanent Secretary, Solomon Islands Ministry of Health
  • Permanent Secretary of Health, Tuvalu Ministry of Health
  • Director General, Vanuatu Ministry of Health
The Terms of Reference for the PSHON Steering Committee are available via the link below.

Steering Committee Terms of Reference (PDF 22 KB)

March 2012 Teleconference

March 2011 Teleconference

March 2010 Teleconference

April 2008 Teleconference

PSHON Activities

The PSHON undertakes activities to explore key health systems management issues in the Pacific Region.

Policy Partnerships Initiative

The Policy Partnerships Initiative (PPI) is an initiative of the PSHON to enable members to establish policy partnerships with health officials from Australia and/or other Pacific countries. These partnerships support capacity development in Pacific Ministries in key policy areas which have been identified by the PSHON members.

The PPIs that have been established to date include:
      • Rheumatic Heart Disease: Samoa–Fiji–Tonga–Tuvalu–Kiribati–Nauru–Vanuatu–Australia (2011);
      • Rheumatic Heart Disease: Tonga–Fiji–Samoa–Tuvalu–Australia–New Zealand (2010);
      • Health Financing: Samoa–Australia (2009–2010);
      • Health Information Systems: Nauru–Australia (2009–2010);
      • Health Information Systems: Kiribati–Australia (2007–2008);
      • Health Library: Samoa–Tonx`ga–Australia (2008–2010); and
      • Health Workforce Planning Tools: Tonga–Australia (2007–2009).
Updates on the first PPI activities undertaken are available via the links below. Updates on PPI projects since 2009 are incorporated in the PSHON Newsletter.
    The PSHON Secretariat has developed the Policy Partnership Initiative Partners Handbook which provides PPI partners with a detailed overview of the PPI, and includes important information on the development, implementation and evaluation of PPI projects.

    Policy Partnership Initiative Handbook 2011 (PDF 108 KB)
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    PSHON Newsletter

    The PSHON Newsletter, coordinated by the PSHON Secretariat, provides information on topics of interest nominated by members, updates on recent activities of the PSHON and other regional agencies. The Newsletter includes information contributed by PSHON members and other stakeholders in the region.

    The PSHON Secretariat welcomes any articles and/or information for inclusion in future issues. In particular, we would like to hear about activities happening in-country that would be of interest to the broader PSHON membership. All articles can be sent to the PSHON Secretariat via: pshon@health.gov.au

    Middle Managers' Residential Module (September 2008)

    The Pacific Middle Managers’ Residential Module was held in Canberra from 10 to 12 September 2008. The aim of the module was to provide leadership and development training to emerging Pacific Middle Managers to strengthen their leadership skills and prepare them for future senior management roles. The Residential Module also facilitated opportunities for participants to meet and form networks with colleagues from other Pacific nations and Australia.

    Seventeen Pacific Middle Managers from PSHON member countries participated in he Residential Module. On the final day the participants were joined by Assistant Secretaries from the Australian Government Department of Health and Ageing (DoHA) and the Executive Director, Surgical and Critical Care Services, Canberra Hospital to discuss networking opportunities.

    The program was facilitated by the team at PALM Consulting Group, who provide leadership development training to middle and senior managers in the Australian Public Service.
    In 2010, a follow-up questionnaire was sent to all participants of the Residential Module to collect information on long-term impacts the Residential Module may have had on participants, and to also identify current development needs of middle level health managers in the Pacific. Responses were received from 10 of the 17 participants.

    The responses received indicated that the participants found the training to be beneficial and most have been able to use specific techniques learned during this activity in their workplace. However, the need for continuation of training in both leadership and management skills was raised by all participants. The networking component of the training does not appear to have been successful as there has been limited interaction between Pacific participants and Australian officials since the workshop.

    The responses raised concerns about the relevance and usefulness of one-off training events like the Residential Module. Therefore, the benefits of providing ongoing in-country or online training to Pacific Island Middle Managers should be considered for future events.

    Following endorsement by the Steering Committee, the Secretariat has provided a summary of the responses to the questionnaire to AusAID and to the AusAID-funded Human Resources for Health Knowledge Hub.

    The summary of responses to the follow-up questionnaire is available via the link below:

    Pacific Middle Managers Module - Summary of Responses (PDF 75 KB)

      Please note that information contained on this website is relevant to members of the Pacific Senior Health Officials Network only.

      Information placed on this website is not provided as a recommendation of policy action for individual countries.

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      CONTACTS

      >> Pacific Members' Contact Details
      >> PSHON Secretariat Contact Details