Revising the essential package of health services through stakeholder alignment, Somalia

Bull World Health Organ. 2023 Nov 1;101(11):738-742. doi: 10.2471/BLT.23.289733. Epub 2023 Sep 28.ABSTRACTPROBLEM: The fragmented health sector in Somalia, burdened by financial challenges and an inadequate regulatory system, struggles to provide equitable essential health services to the entire population.APPROACH: To revise an essential package of health services that stakeholders could support and that aligned with stakeholders' financial and technical resources, the federal health ministry invited all key stakeholders in 2020 to participate in the revision process of the essential package. The ministry distributed a concept note to invited stakeholders, describing the scope and purpose of the revision process of the essential package. The note also contained a timeline and the expected contribution of each stakeholder. Stakeholders nominated representatives based on their technical expertise and knowledge of the health sector in Somalia.LOCAL SETTING: The health sector in Somalia involves multiple stakeholders, including the health ministry and many development partners. The private sector plays a substantial role in health-care provision. Public spending is an estimated 17% of the total health expenditure.RELEVANT CHANGES: After an 18-month revision process, the health ministry and development partners agreed to prioritize high-impact, cost-effective services and use a progressive realization of the package to improve access and coverage. The implementation strategy cons...
Source: Bulletin of the World Health Organization - Category: International Medicine & Public Health Authors: Source Type: research