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Philippines

Health Systems 20/20, in cooperation with USAID/Philippines, is conducting a pilot demonstration of a health governance activity focused on improving maternal and child health outcomes. In three sites in Mindanao, Health Systems 20/20 is supporting the establishment of facility-based governance committees that focus on improving quality of health services: Quality Assurance Partnership Committees (QAPCs).

The QAPC is a governance mechanism that brings together local leaders and government officials, health service providers, civil society, and community representatives to address issues related to access, availability, and quality of maternal and child health related services in local facilities. The committee gives civil society a voice in health service delivery and quality and at the same time, holds local officials and providers accountable to their communities for services delivered. The QAPC is envisioned to provide oversight and problem solving actions to improve maternal and child health services in the facility.

Through a grant to a local NGO, the Gerry Roxas Foundation (GRF) http://www.gerryroxasfoundation.org/, the project started in June 2009, and is moving forward with enthusiastic support from elected officials, health facility managers, and local officials. With assistance from GRF, QAPCs in the three demonstration sites were formed in late July, and in mid-August the committees met to develop workplans for the launch of QAPC activities.

The facilities that are serving as QAPC demonstration sites are: the Rural health Unit in the municipality of Lopez Jaena, the City Health Office in Oroquieta City, and the Provincial Hospital in Compostela Valley. The three committees have made substantial progress in implementing their workplans, with facilitation from the GRF regional coordinators. The membership of all three committees is made up of a majority of health providers with 3-4 community members. Two of the committees' officers are community representatives. The committees have extended the outreach of MCH services in the three facilities, and have encouraged community members to access available services; they have also collected feedback on client satisfaction. Receptivity to the QAPC concept and the pilot project continues to be high among the local elected officials and health facility staff. All see the benefits of involving citizens in quality assessment and accountability. Sustainability issues will need to be addressed in order to institutionalize the QAPC function, and this topic was discussed during a progress visit in January 2010.

Photo Credit: Derick Brinkerhoff