How the International Health Partnership will help in Zambia
The International Health Partnership (IHP), launched in September 2007, aims to make aid more effective by getting donors to work together to meet the national priorities of developing countries. In Zambia, the IHP will ensure that the assistance provided by donors is better coordinated, easing the administrative burden on the Ministry of Health and allowing it to focus on tackling the problems affecting the country’s health system.
Not enough health workers
Image courtesy of Giacomo Pirozzi/Panos Pictures
When the Government of Zambia removed fees in rural health facilities in
2006, at a stroke free health care was made available to more than 7 million
people. After just three months of implementation, the use of health services
across the country had increased by 30%. In order to deal with this rise in
demand, DFID provided the Government with an additional £2.9 million in budget
support over five years.
But Zambia’s health sector is still struggling to cope. In particular, there is
a major shortage of skilled staff, with one-third of all rural facilities having
no trained health workers. While the removal of user fees is generally
recognised as a positive change, the quality of services will not improve unless
more front line workers are recruited.
Getting donors to work together
Currently, Zambia’s health system has support from more than 15 major
international partners. Although these provide welcome resources, many of them
only give money towards specific diseases or one area of health, such as drugs
or infrastructure. Also, many donors have their own plans, budget cycles and
reporting formats. As a result, money is sitting in funds rather than paying for
basic services.
Too much of the Ministry of Health's time is taken up in managing the
requirements of donors instead of managing the health system. Officials recently
spent over 1,500 hours preparing a proposal for just one donor. The
International Health Partnership will mean donors work better together,
resulting in fewer meetings, less time spent on individual initiatives, and
greater coordination in the monitoring and evaluation of projects. This should
allow the Ministry of Health to dedicate more of its time to strengthening
Zambia's national plan, delivering services, and recruiting more skilled health
workers to meet the needs of the country's people.
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Last updated 05 September 2007
