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The International Health Partnership - six months on

5 March 2008

 

A health worker demonstrates anti-malaria nets in ZambiaImage courtesy of Giacomo Pirozzi/Panos Pictures


Today marks six months since the Prime Minister, Ministers from developing and donor countries, and leaders from all of the major health agencies launched the International Health Partnership (IHP).

On 5th September 2007, the Prime Minister stated: "Today we come together - donor governments, health agencies and developing countries - with the certainty that we have the knowledge and the power to save millions of lives through our efforts."

The IHP is not about money – aid has doubled in recent years. It is about working better and smarter to ensure that aid is used in the most effective way. Signatories to the IHP have agreed that in order to accelerate progress to meet the health Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) we must improve coordination between donors, build sustainable health systems, and donors must be unified behind countries' own health plans.

Eight developing countries have signed up to the IHP – Burundi, Cambodia, Ethiopia, Kenya, Mozambique, Mali, Nepal and Zambia.

Since the launch eight key health aid agencies have brought the partners together at global level and within the IHP countries, under the strong leadership of the World Health Organisation (WHO) and the World Bank.

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Agreement on the country compact in Burundi (left to right, Clothilde Nizigama, Minister of Economy, Finance and Development Cooperation; Dr Emmanuel Gikoro, Minister of Public Health and the fight against HIV/AIDS; Dr Tarande Constant Manzila, WHO)Although not much time has passed since the launch, there has been encouraging progress within the IHP countries, with all currently working on developing country compacts. These country compacts will involve all key partners in each of the countries agreeing how best to implement the IHP in their countries.

IHP partners in Burundi, for example, were able to sign a framework agreement on 22 February 2008, signalling early agreement as to how their country compact will look.

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Health facts

Spending on health per person per year:

  • UK average: £1,400
  • Sub-Saharan Africa: £5
  • World Health Organisation’s (WHO) recommended minimum: £17

Health workers:

  • WHO’s recommended minimum is five health workers per 2,000 people
  • In some countries there is only one health worker per 1,000 people
  • In Europe there are ten per 1,000

The coordination problem:

  • There are more than 40 bilateral donors
  • 26 UN agencies
  • 20 global and regional funds and
  • 90 global health initiatives

Every year, £515 million of UK direct aid goes to health

DFID's total spending on health is close to £800 million

One of the important indicators of success will be behaviour change amongst all of the key partners within each of the countries and at a global level. There are very early encouraging signals of success in this area influenced by the momentum around the IHP.

In Nepal this momentum gave the Minister of Health additional confidence to introduce a policy for free access to front line health facilities.

Several IHP partners were able to work together to provide free bed nets to reduce infection by malaria in Burundi. A key priority of the IHP is to work within the Ministry of Health’s own priorities and the provision of these bed nets was an example of this working in practice. The Ministry of Health, external linkGFATM and DFID were able to coordinate the purchase and distribution of 600,000 long-lasting, treated bed nets.

In Mozambique, IHP partners have identified tackling the shortage of nurses and doctors as one of their key priorities. In recognition of this, DFID has supported the plan of a health human resources strategy and provided funds to help implement the plan. The intention of the strategy is to secure long term, predictable funding over the coming years to support an ambitious increase in the number of trained health professionals in Mozambique.

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