Handover of the HSS-BC programme to the Kozah district: good results recorded

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Extract from the article: The international NGO ‘Santé Intégrée’, in collaboration with its state partners, organised a workshop on Tuesday 11 February in Kara to share the results of the mid-term evaluation of the handover of the community-based health system strengthening p

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The international NGO ‘Santé Intégrée’, in collaboration with its state partners, organised a workshop on Tuesday 11 February in Kara to share the results of the mid-term evaluation of the handover of the community-based health system strengthening programme (RSS-BC) to the Kozah district. The workshop was held as part of the implementation of activities under project 3: ‘Establishing universal health coverage’, of the government's 2020-2025 roadmap. It responds to the motivation for setting up Universal Health Insurance (UHI).

The results of the evaluation show that mortality among children under the age of five has fallen drastically, deaths among pregnant women during pregnancy and after childbirth have been significantly reduced, and there is a high rate of attendance at health facilities. We were also pleased to see an improvement in the management of funds allocated to the district, better management of drug stocks, a strengthening of the logistics system and greater ownership of integrated health interventions.  

In addition to the highly encouraging results, the difficulties encountered in implementing the programme can be summed up essentially at the organisational, functional and partnership levels.

The transfer of the HSS-BC programme to state structures

In his presentation, the Country Director of the NGO SI, Gbeleou Sesso Christophe, recalled that the pilot phase of transferring the HSS-BC programme to the Kozah district began in 2023. This project involves giving responsibility for implementing the HSS-BC programme to state structures, and working closely with them to strengthen their managerial, technical and financial capacities in preparation for scaling up, he explained.

In this pilot phase, Santé Intégré Switch has ensured the direct supply of medicines to the healthcare reimbursement model.This is why, added the Country Director, after a year of implementation, a mid-term evaluation of the transfer project, covering the period from April 2023 to June 2024, has been carried out to assess the progress of the process.

According to the Director of Innovation at the NGO Santé Intégrée, Dr Tcheou Dadou Pikedinam, the HSS-BC programme focuses on the free provision of reproductive health services, family planning and HIV care. It is built around 4 key pillars: the provision of proactive services within 72 hours at community level by community health workers (CHWs); improving the quality of care in peripheral health facilities through clinical mentoring to strengthen infrastructure and the supply chain for essential health products; and finally, making care financially accessible to children under 5 and pregnant women by waiving the cost of services.

Launched in 2015 with 4 health facilities in the Kozah district, the RSS-BC programme now covers 25 health facilities in 5 districts, including Kozah, Bassar, Dankpen, Kéran and Binah.