Name of Client:
Ministry of Health (MOH) / Asian Development Bank (ADB)
Country:
Lao PDR
Length of Consultancy Assignment:
Start Date: 24 November 2016
Completion Date: 31 August 2018
Detailed Narrative Description of Project:
The Capacity Development Technical Assistance (CDTA) aimed to strengthen the capacity of MOH and its provincial health offices (PHOs) to implement the HSGP Subprogram 1 (August 2015 to July 2018) and prepare for triggers and milestones to qualify for support of Subprogram 2 by 2018. Specifically, the CDTA supported MOH in the four priority areas of Subprogram 1 and improve MOH readiness for Subprogram 2 in the same areas of governance, human resources development (HRD), financing, and financial management.
In the four Policy-based Lending/Policy-based Loan (PBL) areas, the TA supported all five pillars of Health Sector Reform (HSR) in the following areas: (i) HSR planning, rollout, and monitoring (with Cabinet and Department of Planning and International Cooperation [DPIC]); (ii) planning, expansion, and evaluation of Health Equity Fund (HEF) and Free Maternal and Child Health (FMCH) and strengthening of the capacity of National Health Insurance Bureau (NHIB) (with Department of Finance and NHIB); (iii) building health personnel management capacity and monitoring (with Department of Health Personnel [DHP]); (iv) strengthening health workforce training institutions and regulation (with Department of Training and Research [DTR] and the Health Professional Council [HPC]); (v) strengthening planning and budgeting (with Cabinet, DPIC, and DOF); and (vi) improvement of accounting and financial management (with DOF).
ADB engaged to implement the CDTA. PRIMEX mobilized a team of nine international consultants with specialization in governance, health equity fund and free maternal and child health (MCH), human resources for health (HRH) planning and management, health personnel management, education development and regulation, provincial planning, and budgeting, budget reform, health facility accounting, public financial management, and health accounts as well as one national consultant for public financial management (PFM) and Ministry of Health (MOH) budget reform. The TA consisted of five phases:
- Phase 1: TA preparation to agree on planning process, arrangements, priorities;
- Phase 2: Detailed analysis and stakeholder consultations;
- Phase 3: Consensus building and planning;
- Phase 4: Dissemination and monitoring of implementation; and
- Phase 5: Adjustment and consolidation.
The overall performance of the international consultants was considered satisfactory. International consultants showed strong commitment to include additional ADB program work. DPIC was kept informed about consultant schedules and activities, including through the weekly National Project Coordination Office (NPCO) meetings, and was briefed on the monthly schedule of consultants and TA activities prepared by project office staff based on submitted monthly reports.