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Archive -Seychelles

Stakeholders get insight into spending in health |22 July 2017

Expenses for the year 2014 and 2015 incurred within the health sector, funding allotments and  distribution of resources in different areas were assessed and analysed during a discussion forum organised by the Ministry of Health yesterday morning.

Presented as the National Health Accounts (NHA), these new data will provide fundamental information on the distribution of funding for health care from public, private and other donor sources.

Stakeholders in healthcare from government, the private sector as well as civil society took part in the discussion in the presence of Health Minister Jean-Paul Adam and principal secretary Dr Bernard Valentin as well as other key health officials.

The benefits of the NHA is to have reliable and timely data, that are comparable both at national and international level and such information can be used to formulate policies and decisions and it is a useful tool to monitor and evaluate the health system.

“NHA is a powerful tool to help countries and policy makers evaluate their nation’s health care financing,” said Patricia Rene, chief allied health officer who led the discussions.

“It details the health care system from an expenditure perspective by tracking all spending in health in a country over a defined period,” added Ms Rene.

She noted that simply put the NHA is about how much we spend on health and not about the amount of money the health sector gets from the Ministry of Finance.

The NHA is an extensive practice employed in Seychelles since 2009 and developed with support from the World Bank and the World Health Organisation (WHO).

Ms Rene gave a short but clear overview of the report which has been produced by a team of local specialists in their field led by local consultant and chairperson of the Health Care Agency (HCA) Daniella Larue.

All those taking part in the forum had the opportunity to discuss these results in a plenary session before receiving copies of the report.

The 2014/2015 version of the NHA is the 3rd set for Seychelles. Previous reports were developed for 2009 and 2013.

Addressing everyone present Minister Adam said undertaking such a process to prepare these reports is very important as it strengthens governance in the health sector.

“In terms of the priorities of the government and in terms of our health strategic plan, strengthening governance, accountability and transparency are building blocks for improving the quality of service in the health sector,” Minister Adam said.

Mrs Larue also gave an overview of the report and spoke about the different challenges encountered  during the process namely those of obtaining relevant information from the private sector. For instance there were no information on private pharmacies as well as monies spent by individuals on private  doctors and specialists consultations which represent considerable spending in the health sector.

 

 

 

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