By: Saidou S Baldeh
The Ministry of Health and Social Welfare (MOHSW) has ended three day second joint annual health sector review at Djembe hotel from 28- 30, January 2019.
The forum reviewed progress in the health sector and identified issues that need to be addressed in order to improve performance in the health sector.
Dr. Isatou Touray, Minister of Health and Social Welfare said the annual sector reviews was institutionalized in countries when the sector wide approach SWaP became a popular mechanism for improving donor and partner coordination with a view of creating an enabling environment for an efficient and the responsive health system.
“The joint annual reviews (JAR) became a key component of the reform agenda proposed by International Health Partnership Plus other initiatives (IHP) from its inception in 2017. It is only considered participatory when all stakeholders take part in the review process,” Dr. Touray said at the opening of the forum.
She added: “It provides a common basis for understanding sector issues, priorities, finding and recommendations that emanate from the review process, which can be fallowed- up through action plan and policy dialogue with stakeholders.”
She said JAR is usually used in the context of a medium term health strategic plan where progress is monitored against the set objectives and strategies in the annual operational plain derived from the strategies plan.
Dr. Touray revealed cited the National Health Sector Strategic (NHSSP 2014-2020) is mean to provide accessible, adequate, effective, affordable and quality health care for all Gambians.
Muhammadou Lamin Jaiteh, permanent secretary for MOHSW described the forum as significant in enabling health officials to have the opportunity to estimate performance across the ministry as well as its partners to ensure the improvement of the health sector for the populace.
“It will re-sharpen the critical role of the ministry in fulfilling its duty of accountability to the population; how it has spent its funds, and what result it has achieved,” he said.
He added that activity will further demonstrates the stakeholders accountability, the ministries also continue to solicit all development partners and actors across the health sector to reflect better on the sector, and accountably collaborate with us to improve health in the Gambia, through greater monitoring and implementation.
He said the joint review process is an event where his ministry needs competence workforce that is committed to work hard and sincerely deliver on its mandate to ensure effective service delivery for the ministry.
“There is the dire need for a more concerted effort to ensure there is harmonized coordination at all level of the health system,” he said, adding they must be ready to strengthen collaboration and streamline their intervention if they achieve the vision, mission and objective set out in the national policy.