Comparing Policy Effectiveness Across Countries in Malawi
Actual Policy Use
Analyzing FY03-05 data, the 2007 child health subaccount revealed that Malawi spends a comparable amount on child health when compared to other countries with similar economic profiles, such as Sri Lanka. However, Malawi’s under-five child mortality is much higher, nearly 9 times that of Sri Lanka’s. These NHA findings spawned governmental discussions on the need to review current health financing practices and policies.
Currently, Malawi is considering alternative financing mechanisms such as performance based financing in order to increase efficiency and transparency. The child health subaccount findings bolstered the advocacy of the Ministry of Health Planning Department for performance based financing in order to hold providers accountable for key child health output indicators such as immunization coverage.
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