Interview 15:
I: So what do you think makes a health policy maker? Because I mean, you are involved in policy so technically you are health policy maker, but when people refer to the differences between researchers and health policy makers, what is it that makes someone a health policy maker in Laos?
P: you mean how people?
I: how do they see the health policy maker, who they are, and what their role is? In comparison to someone like yourself who is both.
P it depends on who is looking at them. If the researcher is looking at them, if the practitioner or clinician is different view. You see. It depends on the people who are looking at them.
Actually for me, as a researcher, as an academic person, I can say I am also a health policy maker as well. When talking about them, their role is very essential very important, very vital to making any decisions. They are very influential, very powerful in terms of their role and their position. But in terms of judgement or making decisions, it is another thing. [laughs] I don’t want to say too much [laughs] I already mentioned.