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Measuring transparency in the public pharmaceutical sector : assement instrument

BAGHDADI-SABETI, Guitelle
COHEN-KOHLER, John Clare
WONDEMAGEGNEHU, Eshetu
2009

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The objective of this instrument is to help stakeholders carry out assessments to measure the level of transparency and the vulnerability to corruption in selected areas of the public pharmaceutical sector. It provides an assessment methodology together with a questionnaire for national assessors to systematically collect information and perceptions through interviews of relevant health professionals in the public and private sectors

Advocacy for mental health : mental health policy and service guidance package

FUNK, Michelle
et al
2003

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This resource provides guidance to ministries of health on the development of mental health advocacy in countries or regions. It is designed to be used by policy-makers and public health professionals, advocacy groups representing people with mental disorders and their families, and general health workers and mental health workers
Note: This module is part of a guidance package that consists of a series of interrelated user-friendly modules that are designed to address the wide variety of needs and priorities in mental health policy development and service planning. Its recommended for use by policy makers, service planners representatives or associations of families and carers of people with mental disorders

Current issues in sector-wide approaches for health development : Tanzania case study

BROWN, Adrienne
2000

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[Publisher's abstract:] A case study of experiences with an advanced sector-wide approach for health development in Tanzania, where a significant number of activities in the health sector are supported by pooled donor funds disbursed through the government system. These funds are integrated into the government budget cycle, with donors increasingly agreeing to make commitments and disbursements in line with government budgetary requirements. The case study opens with an overview of the country's economic, political, and health situation, concentrating on the implications of recent public sector and government reforms. The next section explains the financing, monitoring, and management of the country's sector-wide approach to donor coordination and budgeting. Eight strategies, adopted to improve the availability and quality of essential health services, are also briefly discussed to illustrate how adoption of a sector-wide approach can help tackle inequities in the health system. Having examined key features of the country's advanced sector-wide approach, the case study considers lessons learned and their applicability to similar efforts in other countries. Questions discussed include the importance of government leadership and ownership, the role of donor involvement in joint disbursement procedures, and the extent to which signed agreements can make donor funds more predictable. The study concludes that, despite high aid dependency, government ownership of the programme is growing, and national commitment to sector programmes and public expenditure reform has created a positive environment for expansion. The high costs of transactions and the additional administrative burden imposed on governments remain major problems

Sector-wide approaches for health develpment : a review of experience

FOSTER, M
BROWN, A
CONWAY, T
2000

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[Publisher's abstract:] Summarizes lessons learned in five countries which are attempting to implement a sector-wide approach to health development. The sector-wide approach is a comparatively recent mechanism for coordinating the roles of governments and donors. A significant characteristic of this approach is the use of all significant funding to support a single sector policy and expenditure programme, under government leadership, with eventual reliance on the government to disburse and account for all funds. The approach also involves a transition of donor contributions away from project-funded vertical programmes and towards a single budget administered by the government. Case studies of the successes and failures of this approach were conducted in Cambodia, Mozambique, Tanzania, Uganda, and Viet Nam. Although these countries represent a range of different stages of implementing the approach, the review reached a number of conclusions about shared problems and impediments to progress. These include weaknesses in government monitoring procedures and a corresponding reluctance of donors to relinquish control, increased demands on staff within ministries of health, and a management complexity that can overwhelm government capacity. On the positive side, the review found evidence of greater agreement on a more restricted range of priorities, better integration of individual programmes within the budget planning process, better links between policy and implementation, and improved understanding of barriers to service utilization, including the role of corruption and incentive problems. On the basis of this assessment, the review issues six key recommendations for improved sector-wide management of projects and resources

A guide to sector-wide approaches for health development : concepts, issues and working arrangements

CASSELS, Andrew
1997

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Introduces and explains the concept of sector-wide approaches, which involves a partnership between governments and all donors working in the health sector, whereby goals are jointly set, coherent sector-wide strategies are mutually agreed, funding is allocated in line with goals and strategies, and actions and responsibilities are collective, though ownership belongs to the government. The approach also calls for the concentration of funding on interventions of proven effectiveness, and the use of national systems for financial management, monitoring, and the procurement of goods and services. Although experience with the approach is limited, the author cites convincing evidence of its potential to overcome many long-standing problems in the provision of development aid. The strategy also responds to growing recognition that, when attempting to achieve sustained improvements in health, sector-wide approaches offer a better prospect of success than the piecemeal pursuit of separately financed projects. With this potential in mind, the author sets out a framework for understanding the strengths and weaknesses of the approach, the way it works in practice, the problems that are likely to arise, and procedures and mechanisms for overcoming these problems. Topics discussed range from the specific circumstances where sector-wide approaches are most appropriate, through ways of ensuring that investments reduce poverty and inequities, to the types of formal agreements needed to minimize misunderstandings. [Publisher's abstract, amended]

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