Health Systems Strengthening

Health Systems Strengthening is a blanket term that captures the numerous pieces needed to improve people’s access to the health services they need, when and where they need them. Health system strengthening is not limited to strengthening a hospital or a medical clinic but also all the people and actions whose primary intent is to promote, restore and maintain health.

Greenstar Social Marketing’s (GSM) central focus is on improving the access to and availability of sexual and reproductive health (SRH), Mother and child health (MCH) and Family Planning (FP) services across the country. In the context to Health System Strengthening, GSM underwent numerous interventions to strengthen the public healthcare system of KPK with a particular focus on the Newly Merged Districts (NMD). The Intervention specific details are as under;

1.Strengthening Service Delivery and the Health Workforce

GSM under the KfW grant has trained a considerable number of public sector healthcare providers i.e., approx. 2000 different cadres of healthcare providers and healthcare workers that includes Lady Health Workers, Doctors, Paramedics and Lady Health Visitors on multiple subjects concerning SRH, MCH, FP and enhanced communication and counselling skills. This is not it for GSM in KPK as numerous trainings under the USAID grant are in plan for districts Upper Dir and Buner of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

2.Removing Barriers to Health

Health systems strengthening can’t take place without knowing what challenges people face to attain good health. GSM took into consideration the social, cultural, and personal challenges and biases that create barriers to the uptake of SRH, MCH and FP services and designed their BCC interventions in a way to alter the misconceptions regarding the adoption of MCH, SRH and FP services. GSM under the KfW grant conducted around 2000 community-based awareness sessions and advocacy events with the men and women of KP (NMD) to educate them about the importance of having good health and how availing MCH, SRH and FP services can benefit their overall health and wellbeing which also generated a massive demand for quality healthcare services. GSM currently under the USAID grant will be conducting more awareness raising among men and women regarding SRH, MCH and FP in district Buner of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

3.Health Facility Strengthening

In order to develop the system’s compatibility with the demand of the community, GSM under the KFW grant supported the existing public sector health facilities and lady health workers clinics aka health houses in terms of minor repair and renovation of the facility structure, power supply back up, installation/repair of water supply etc. Apart from civil work, GSM also equipped the health facilities and health houses with essential medical, non-medical and diagnostic equipment for the smooth operation of routine procedures. A total of 51 mother and child health centers and 200 lady health worker’s clinics are supported by GSM in the newly merged districts of KP. GSM under the USAID grant is underway to strengthen 8 health and population welfare facilities and 30 lady health workers clinics aka health houses in district Buner of KP.

4.Strengthening Health Data Management System.

GSM under the USAID grant for Upper Dir is in the process to digitalize data at the tehsil level to avoid data loss and ensure timely reporting. GSM will establish data cells at the tehsil level within the tehsil headquarter hospitals of the district and assist in the compilation of data into DHIS 2. Apart from digitalization of data to the tehsil level GSM will also roll out a training information system (TIS) with offline and online data compilation features to track public sector staff trainings and performances and develop a capacity-building plan. Each provider will be given a unique code that when entered into the system all her training records will appear. GSM will orient the health staff on the use of TIS app and the development of capacity-building plans.

5.Strengthening of capacity of DoH and PWD KP Health Managers on Health/data management system

GSM under the USAID grant strengthened the capacity of 30 health and population welfare managers of district Upper Dir on the fundamentals of key functions of health/data management namely HMIS, Procurement and finance guidelines, Minimum initial Service Delivery and Monitoring & Evaluation & Research and Facility management on quality healthcare standards, that are essential for the efficient management of the public health/PWD facilities thus leading to quality healthcare services provision.

6.Capacity building of DoH officials on Public-Private Partnership (PPP)

GSM in collaboration with Health Foundation KP strengthened the capacity of 35 District Health Officers (DHOs) and Medical Superintendents on Public Private Partnership policy and practice.

7.GSM and Public Private Partnership in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

GSM, with the support of various donors, has been working under DoH KP since 2009 striving to improve the health indices of mothers and children across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa mainly in Newly Merged Districts.

Apart from the above, GSM is in the process of competing for the management consultancy of primary and secondary level health facilities across various districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa including NMDs for the purpose to ensure access to quality healthcare services, support the department in the provision of minimum health services delivery package (MHSDP) in the targeted districts and ensure maximum utilization of the target health facilities.

GSM has successfully qualified for the EOI round while the RFP is yet to be advertised by health foundation KP.

8.GSM over the last five years had secured multiple NOCs from the NOC granting authorities i.e. the 11^th Corps Pak Army and the Home and Tribal Affairs Department for the smooth implementation of the projects in KP.