To quote from the report,

“The aim of this study was to assess the existence and functioning of health governance structures in the form of clinic committees in order to identify opportunities for strengthening their role in governance.”

Interestingly, the research was conducted telephonically, with the HST contacting and surveying over 2,500 clinics. Although not field-based, HST equipped each data collector with a low cost Nokia 2626 handset (retailing for a few hundred Rand) which they used to conduct the telephonic survey and capture the responses of facility managers.

Instead of using traditional Computer Assisted Telephony Interview (CATI) techniques, whereby each data collector would have required a computer, they were able to follow the survey flow and capture responses using a familiar mobile phone. This allowed HST to cut infrastructure costs substantially without relying on paper-based processes.

The full report is available for download on the Health Systems Trust website.