July 23, 2009
Jericho, West Bank – The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) Palestinian Health Sector Reform and Development project (the Flagship Project) launched its support of West Bank NGO health care providers to help them improve the quality of their health services.
The July 20 inaugural event was opened by Minister of Health Fathi Abu Moghli, who stressed the importance of health sector reform, the challenges involved, and the cooperation necessary between the Ministry of Health (MoH) and NGO health sector in meeting the public’s needs for quality health care.
“Reform is a continuous process that requires a review of where you are, so that you can build to move forward,” said Minister Fathi Abu Moghli. “Reform is associated with change, which is often faced with opposition. We must understand that it is part of the reform process in order to be able to overcome it.”
To inaugurate activities, the Flagship Project, through its subcontract with a Palestinian firm IDaRA, hosted a three-day workshop for 20 representatives from eight Palestinian NGO health care institutions. The workshop introduced participants to the concept of being effective “change agents”--leaders for change and improvement of health care.
“This workshop will lead to the reform of the participating institutions, which will improve the quality of health care” said George Arkouch of St. John’s Eye Hospital, a participant in the workshop.
The training provided participants with skills to improve their management practices. Topics included strategic planning, managing change, leadership and communications, and monitoring and evaluation.
Following the workshop, participating NGOs will each conduct a needs assessment of their organizations to identify areas for improvement. They will then develop institutional development plans highlighting needed interventions.
“The training approach of this workshop is based on self-led organizational development rather than imposed training methodologies,” said Dr. Tareq Barakat of Makassed Hospital.
The process of self-led needs assessment and development of institutional plans was a best practice set by the Ministry of Health, which is currently undertaking a similar process.
The Flagship Project is a five-year health sector reform project which supports the Palestinian health sector in increasing the quality of health services at hospitals and clinics--including emergency and rehabilitation services--and in improving good governance and management practices of health institutions. The Flagship Project also supports the MoH, NGO health sector, and communities to promote healthier and safer behaviors within families and communities, including prevention of chronic diseases and injury, and promotion of maternal and child health care, water and sanitation, and women’s health. In addition, the project provides essential medical equipment, supplies, and pharmaceuticals in support of MoH and NGO health facility needs. Through these initiatives, the Flagship Project is supporting the long-term development and sustainability of quality health care services that meet the Palestinian public’s needs.
Since 1994, USAID has provided more than $2.2 billion in U.S. economic assistance to Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza via projects designed to reduce poverty, improve health and education, build infrastructure, create jobs, and promote democracy and good governance.
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