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Health policy, planning and financing
Health Partners International (HPI) has extensive experience of working in health policy, planning and financing in countries including: Tanzania, Bangladesh, Nigeria, St Lucia, the Occupied Palestinian Territories and Namibia.
We work with stakeholders at all levels, from national level policy design to local level planning, financing and delivery. Costing studies can be used to review the financial efficiency of service delivery. A clear understanding of financial mechanisms and the involvement of users as well as policy makers are key to the planning and policy process and, thus, to the transformation of the health sector in each country.
Some of our projects
- Costing study - Tanzania
- Financial review of a health card insurance scheme - Bangladesh
- Feasibility study looking at the provision of free emergency obstetric care (EOC) services - Nigeria
- Support to preparation of a National Strategic Health Sector Plan - St Lucia
- Health sector review - Palestine
- Assisting Benue State to develop a medium-term strategic health plan - Nigeria
- Health systems and social development support in the strategic planning process of health services - Nigeria
- Design of a health and social sector support programme - Namibia
Background information
Health policy, planning and financing are closely related to one another:
- Health policy ranges from national level (which will often link to legislation - see health policy, legislation and ethics) to facility level. Its design should be specific to and realistic for each country
- Effective health planning relies on policy framework and a clear understanding of health financing for each local area. The planning process needs to take both supply and demand issues into account. It should include people who are responsible for planning and delivery of services, and the users or beneficiaries of services (see increasing demand for priority health services)
- An understanding of what it costs to deliver services, and the mechanisms by which services are financed, should underpin the development of policy and the planning of service transformation. Costing studies can be used to determine the costs of services, provide information on how these are paid for, and how efficient different institutions are in delivering health care. They are also useful for developing the skills of planning.