Scaling up One Health: A network analysis in Lao PDR
Andrew Larkins,
Soulasack Vannamahaxay,
Vannaphone Puttana,
Malavanh Chittavong,
Fongsamouth Southammavong,
Mayfong Mayxay,
Davina Boyd,
Mieghan Bruce,
Amanda Ash
Affiliations
Andrew Larkins
School of Medical, Molecular and Forensic Sciences, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia; Centre for Biosecurity and One Health, Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia; Corresponding author at: School of Medical, Molecular and Forensic Sciences, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia.
Soulasack Vannamahaxay
Faculty of Agriculture, National University of Laos, Vientiane, Lao Democratic People’s Republic
Vannaphone Puttana
Faculty of Agriculture, National University of Laos, Vientiane, Lao Democratic People’s Republic; Lao One Health University Network, Vientiane, Lao Democratic People’s Republic
Malavanh Chittavong
Faculty of Agriculture, National University of Laos, Vientiane, Lao Democratic People’s Republic; Lao One Health University Network, Vientiane, Lao Democratic People’s Republic
Fongsamouth Southammavong
Faculty of Agriculture, National University of Laos, Vientiane, Lao Democratic People’s Republic; Lao One Health University Network, Vientiane, Lao Democratic People’s Republic
Mayfong Mayxay
Institute of Research and Education Development, University of Health Sciences, Ministry of Health, Vientiane, Lao Democratic People’s Republic; Lao-Oxford-Mahosot Hospital-Wellcome Trust Research Unit, Mahosot Hospital, Vientiane, Lao Democratic People’s Republic; Centre for Tropical Medicine and Global Health, Nuffield Department of Medicine, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom; Lao One Health University Network, Vientiane, Lao Democratic People’s Republic
Davina Boyd
Centre for Sustainable Farming Systems, Food Futures Institute, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia
Mieghan Bruce
Centre for Biosecurity and One Health, Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia; School of Veterinary Medicine, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia
Amanda Ash
School of Medical, Molecular and Forensic Sciences, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia; Centre for Biosecurity and One Health, Harry Butler Institute, Murdoch University, Perth, Australia
Background: One Health focuses on sustainable health for humans, animals, and ecosystems. The approach has been well demonstrated, yet most efforts have not been scaled up. Understanding the organisations involved in scaling up processes is critical to translating research into practice. The Lao People's Democratic Republic has successfully implemented One Health projects for multiple decades; however, the organisational network has not been described and scaling up efforts have been limited. Methods: Data from organisations involved in One Health projects over the past five years were collected by key-informant interview or workshop. The network was investigated using a mixture of quantitative network analysis and qualitative thematic analysis. Results: The organisational network was quantitatively described as sparse and centralised. Organisations were required to harness pre-existing relationships to maximise scarce resources and make co-ordination and alignment of priorities more efficient. A lack of international organisations in the top 10% of resource sharing metrics suggests a potential disconnect between donors. This was reflected in the challenges faced by national organisations and a feeling of being stretched thin over numerous externally funded projects with donor-driven priorities. Conclusions: It appears that high-level political support for country ownership of development and aid priorities remains unrealised. Developing network capacity and capability may assist scaling up efforts and build resilience in the network and its core organisations. This may allow for the inclusion of more development, education, environment, and water, sanitation, and hygiene organisations that were perceived to be lacking. Future One Health programmes should focus on practical activities that do not overload staff capacity. There is much for One Health to learn about the art of scaling up and organisations are encouraged to include implementation science in their research to inform future scaling up efforts.
