THE HEALTH Sector Reform Programme in the Ministry of Health has been allocated $136.6 million in the 2001/02 Estimates of Expenditure now before the House of Representatives.
Physical targets for this year are the development of the National Health Insurance Plan (NHIP):strengthening of the regulatory and policy making role of the Ministry of Health; improving human resource management and adaptation of training programmes in line with new sectoral needs and strengthening health promotion and selected gaps in service delivery.
Since the programme began in 1997, the Steering Committee of the NHIP has submitted its report and studies are now been undertaken; regional boards have been appointed and are now functioning; regional management staff has been put in place; and two regional maintenance units have been installed.
A human resource development consultancy firm has also been identified, and a quality assurance programme has commenced.
The programme is funded by the Government and the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB). For this year, the Government is providing $29.72 million while the IDB is providing $106.92 million.
The project is scheduled to be completed in September 2001.
