Lesotho
Human Resources for Health (HRH) Costing
With greater understanding of the need to plan and develop the health workforce, more and more countries are developing well thought out HRH strategies about how to meet current and future HRH needs. In many cases, however, ministries of health lack technical skills necessary to accurately calculate the costs of their HRH strategies. This gap has in some cases led to the development of HRH strategies that cost more than the entire annual budget of the ministry. In Lesotho Health Systems 20/20 is assisting the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare cost its HRH and continuing education strategies. Ministry counterparts are guided through the process of building consensus, identifying country priorities for implementation, and aligning workplans with budget realities.
Health Systems Assessment
As the global community continues to scale up HIV/AIDS and TB interventions, it is vital to understand the state of the health systems in which these services are being delivered. Good health systems should deliver effective, safe, quality health services to those in need with a minimum waste of limited resources.
Health Systems 20/20 Health System Assessment methodology was developed to systematically and rapidly assess national health systems and provide policymakers and program managers with information on how to strengthen the system as a whole. The approach provides a comprehensive assessment of key health systems functions organized around six technical modules: governance, health financing, health service delivery, human resources, pharmaceutical management, and health information systems. The methodology has been adapted and applied at both the national and subnational levels in more than 14 countries.
In recent years, Lesotho has initiated important health sector reform measures and health system strengthening has been promoted as a major priority. Lesotho’s national health plan (1995-2000) underscored the importance of systems strengthening with major efforts aimed at institutional strengthening, organizational development, restructuring human resources for health, health financing, service delivery, and improved donor coordination. Continuing to strengthen Lesotho’s health system requires a thorough understanding of its unique strengths and weaknesses. In January 2010 Health Systems 20/20 commenced data collection as a part of the health system assessment process. Key findings of the assessment are expected in the coming months.
Bolstering Health Systems from the Inside Out—A Look at Lesotho
Oct 26 2010
