| Plenary session 2 - Policies and health systems that work for the health-related MDGs |
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Co-chairs:
H.E. Kumbo Kachali, Minister of Health, Malawi and
Ms Purnima Mane, Deputy Executive Director, UNFPA
Tracking External Resources for MNCH: Dr Jo Borghi, Ms Giulia Greco Dr Jo Borghi and Ms Giulia Greco, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, co-presented The study on financial flows for the Countdown 2008 report looks specifically at donor flows in 2005 and 2006, and trends between 2003-2006 and explores the determinants of aid flows including where and how much donors choose to invest. Dr Borghi noted the large funding gap for maternal, newborn and child health (MNCH) to meet MDGs 4 and 5. Ms Greco noted that total aid to MNCH increased from 2 billion in 2003 to 3.5 billion in 2006, with development assistance( ODA) to child health increasing by 63%, and ODA to maternal and newborn health increasing by 66% in the same time. She also noted that per capita aid to the 68 countries nearly doubled, but that the increases in aid were uneven across the countries, with some experiencing reductions. Ms Greco concluded that there have been general increases in funding to MNCH , but that more resources are needed to achieve MDGs 4 and 5, and predictability is key. Tackling the Human Resources Crisis: Dr Francis Omaswa Executive Director, The Global Health Workforce Alliance In terms of the Countdown priority countries, Dr Francis Omaswa noted that the 57 countries with a critical health worker shortage overlaps with the 68 priority countries and is a clear indication of the direct connection between high MNC mortality and health work force density. Dr Omaswa concluded his presentation by listing solutions to the health workforce crisis that were identified in the Kampala Declaration and Agenda for Global Action, March 2008: leadership, capacity building, training for health workers, use of community and mid-level workers, the establishment of partnerships, strengthening of health care societies.
Discussion and Conclusion
Break-out Session Summaries
Group 1: High impact MNCH policy: evidence and experience on the political processes and policy decisions that make a difference.
Dr Jeffrey Mecaskey, Save the Children US, provided an overview of the experiences of Tanzania and Nepal and the perspective of the World Bank on the role of policy in influencing MNCH. Group 2: Show me the money! The financing cycle of maternal, newborn, and child health Dr Tessa Tantores, WHO explained that the focus of the break-out session was on learning from country-based experiences concrete strategies that civil society and other partners can adopt to increase money allocated to MNCH. Group 3: Results-based financing: evidence and experience on how changing incentives can affect MNCH service uptake and delivery Dr Giorgio Cometto, Save the Children UK discussed results-based financing schemes in Rwanda, Afghanistan, and China to increase service delivery for MNCH showed that the success of these schemes hinges upon clear delineation of their costing and resource implications, and the capacity for good monitoring and evaluation. Group 4: Human resources for MNCH
Dr David Sanders, University of Cape Town, reviewed the outcomes of group 4 and the presentations given about the experiences of Brazil, India, and Ghana.
Group 5: Quality of health services: making the difference The group noted that in order to assess the quality of health services, better indicators of the quality of care need to be developed and used. It was recommended that these indicators be developed with specificity to specific areas or issues (e.g., malaria, HIV, etc.) and that the Countdown put more emphasis on this area in Dr Monir Islam called upon audience participants to provide specific ways for improving the flow of resources for MNCH.
From the floor
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