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Samah's story

Samah is one of millions of mothers in the Region who has undergone the experience of pregnancy and childbirth. What was Samah's experience like? WHO followed her progress from the fifth month of pregnancy until the child was born and safely established in life. 
Samah's experience is documented below.

 
Events PDF Print

High-level regional forum on a life course approach to promoting physical activity

Launching a regional physical activity network

Policy mapping

 
Strengthening health systems for universal health coverage PDF Print

Universal health coverage

In 2013, WHO advocated with its Member States the move towards universal health coverage in order to expand population coverage, ensure the availability and accessibility of needed health services, and improve financial protection for those who use health care services. The move towards universal health coverage has created many opportunities for Member States to accelerate progress but has also highlighted gaps and challenges in the different health system components that will need to be addressed to accelerate the move. 

In its 60th session, the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean discussed the challenges and opportunities with regard to moving towards universal health coverage and endorsed a vision, strategy and roadmap (EM/RC60/R.2) for Member States. Short health system profiles were developed for each country which provide an overview of health system performance and a summary of the challenges and priorities for health system strengthening towards universal health coverage. 

This was followed by an international event at which high-level representatives from 20 countries of the Region, as well as international and regional experts and development partners, such as the World Bank, endorsed a framework for action that will guide future support to countries in moving towards universal health coverage. Activities to build health system capacity to accelerate progress towards universal health coverage included workshops for the sub-regional group of Gulf Cooperation Council, G5 countries, and countries eligible for support from the GAVI Alliance. 

Work in 2014 and beyond will focus on supporting Member States to implement the framework for action and assessing the progress that countries make in achieving universal health coverage.

Health financing

As noted in last year’s annual report, the Region is characterized by a high share of direct out-of-pocket expenditures for health, which is a major impediment to the move towards universal health coverage. Many countries in all three groups of countries in the Region  continue to lack a clear vision as to how to improve their health financing systems. There is inadequate understanding of health financing concepts and similar lack of capacity in the conducting of health financing studies and tools, particularly national health accounts, OASIS (Organizational assessment for improving and strengthening health financing), household health expenditure and utilization surveys, and cost–effectiveness studies, and the application of these tools to inform decision-making. 

Several activities were held to build national and regional capacities in promoting concepts and the use of health financing tools to engage countries in discussions around strengthening national health financing systems. Global experiences in progress towards universal health coverage were shared at the high-level event on accelerating progress towards universal health coverage. Over 100 delegates participated, including ministers of health and policy-makers, development partners, civil society organizations and global experts. A high-level seminar was held in early 2013 on options for health care financing in the Region followed by a sub-regional meeting on health financing for the member states of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), which comprise the group 1 countries. Among other issues, the particular case of expatriate populations was discussed and options   on how to cover them were reviewed. Two regional capacity-building activities on national health accounts and costing using the one health costing tool were conducted. In addition, country-specific health financing workshops were held in three countries and a national health system conference was supported in Morocco, aimed at developing the vision for the future of the health system. Several policy papers were developed on key topics around universal health coverage, including multi-sectorality, and the role of strategic purchasing. 

Needless to say, much work is needed in this area. Our plan is to continue to reinforce WHO’s technical capacity in health financing to respond to the need to provide advice and build capacity in Member States in the development and implementation of  sound health financing policies to achieve universal health coverage. 

Health governance

Improving governance in health remains a major issue for all countries as they work towards increasing equity and fairness in health care delivery, updating public health laws and legislation, and improving accountability. The right to health – or health as a human right – is not yet a routine part of policy-making. As health assumes increasing importance in the global development agenda, there is an increasing realization of the need to develop capacities in health diplomacy and reinforce coordination with the foreign policy and other sectors. The second regional health diplomacy seminar was conducted for officials in foreign affairs and health to promote coordination between the two sectors in addressing health challenges that require political solutions and skills. 

Support for improving governance, accountability and transparency included assessments in 12 countries to better understand the policy and planning function of the Ministry of Health. Technical support was provided to four countries to review their respective national health policies and strategies. Two assessment tools were developed to support health system development. The first was used to assess the status of the right to health in four countries, and the second to assess public health legislation in five countries. An expert meeting identified gaps in public health law in the Region and galvanized action to respond to these gaps, including the setting up of a regional network of experts on public health law. Work will continue in 2014 and beyond to develop clear guidance for countries in strengthening health legislation. Special emphasis will be given in 2014 to the prevention of noncommunicable diseases.

Of particular concern in the Region is the presence of political crisis and social unrest in several countries, a situation which has led to a domination of emergency-oriented activities in the health sector. This has contributed to further weakening of government institutions in some countries and their ability to increase and improve the predictability of external assistance, and their alignment and harmonization with government priorities. 

Health workforce development

The major challenges facing countries in the area of health workforce development include shortages and maldistribution, especially of nurses, midwives and allied health professionals, training and continuing education, and retention of competent professionals. In several countries in groups 2 and 3, human resources management systems are weak and coordination in health workforce development is inadequate. An important region-wide concern is the need to ensure that the migration, movement, rights and obligations of the health workforce are consistent with the WHO global code of practice on the international recruitment of health personnel. 

While the gaps in the development of the health workforce are clear, solutions to address these gaps are not always evident to Member States. To respond to this challenge, work started in 2013 to develop a comprehensive strategy to guide countries in implementing effective approaches in the production, distribution, training and retention of health professionals. The strategy, which will be based on a review of regional and international experience, will be discussed in an intercountry meeting in 2014.

It is evident from working closely with countries that most Member States do not have adequate capacity in public health. Supporting countries in this area is considered a priority by the Regional Office. Experience and skills in public health are essential for national health development. A regional consultation reviewed options for improving public health capacity, and discussed ways to develop a regional public health leadership programme and improve the quality of public health education and training, addressing the dichotomy between teaching and practice, and improve investment in public health research. We are now working with other international public health institutions in establishing a public health leadership programme which will be open to mid-level public health managers in Member States starting in 2014.

Nursing and midwifery is another area that requires greater attention. A consultation on nursing education was convened to review and update the regional standards for nursing and midwifery education, and develop a regional framework for nursing specialization. A prototype curriculum for pre-service nursing education and a post-basic specialty mental health nursing prototype curriculum were developed. 

WHO support was provided to build national capacity in areas such as leadership and management for nurses and midwives and how to conduct a health workforce projection. Nursing and midwifery regulation was strengthened in three countries. In Afghanistan, a strategic national plan for human resources for health and a strategic plan for the ten institutes of health sciences to promote educational development of nursing, midwifery and allied health sciences and increase production were finalized. 

The regional fellowships programme benefited 94 fellows from countries across the Region. 

We believe that WHO’s work in strengthening medical education has not received adequate attention in recent years despite the important challenges that countries currently face in this area. In scaling up, we first need to conduct an accurate situation analysis, identify constraints and agree on priorities for action. For this reason, a major study on medical education in countries of the Region has been initiated in coordination with the World Federation of Medical Education. The purpose is to review the quality and appropriateness of medical education programmes across the Region, share best practices and identify areas for improvement. Our plan is to provide clear strategic directions for this area of work in 2014.

At the Third Global Forum on Human Resources for Health, 14 Member States made commitments and agreed to monitor and report progress on these. The forum is organized by the Global Health Workforce Alliance, which is hosted by WHO.

Essential medicines and technologies

Access to medical products, including essential medicines, vaccines, blood products, diagnostics and medical devices remains a challenge that is exacerbated for many countries by the failure to fully implement the use of quality-assured generic medicines, irrational use of medicines and inefficient procurement and distribution systems. In addition, countries have not fully used available tools (such as health technology assessment) to help them make informed decisions in relation to investments in health technology. Underpinning the challenges in the area of essential medicines and health technologies is the need to strengthen national regulatory authorities in most countries. 

Important steps were taken in advancing the use of health technology assessment in the Region with an intercountry meeting on health technology assessment attended by 18 countries. The meeting triggered the initiation of a health technology assessment network of regional and international experts, as well as the setting up of national programmes and the mapping of existing national and region-wide health technology assessment resources. 

National medicines policy documents were updated in two countries and capacity was strengthened in 18 countries to conduct surveys to assess the national pharmaceutical sector by using WHO level II methodology. 

The work in strengthening access to medicines and health technology included building up regulatory capacity. Although training was conducted for some countries in 2013, this area requires intensive work in WHO to reinforce technical support to Member States in 2014 and beyond. Capacity-building continued under the WHO good governance for medicines programme. 

Integrated service delivery

The three groups of countries face varying health system challenges. The predominant challenges in the area of health service delivery are expanding access, improving quality of care and strengthening referral systems In addition to the need for improved training, deployment, distribution and development of the health workforce, capacity of health care providers in managing financial and human resources will have to be reinforced. Poor management capacity is compounded by the lack of effective hospital autonomy and public–private partnerships. 

The quality of care and the level of patient safety need to be improved. Studies in some countries have shown the prevalence of adverse events to be as high as 18% of hospital admissions. 

Several studies were conducted to deepen understanding of health service delivery challenges in countries. For the first time a regional analysis of the private health sector was conducted and presented during the pre-session of the Regional Committee. An assessment of the main characteristics of general operations, internal control structures and service delivery aspects of public sector hospitals was completed in all countries. The findings showed that the average length of inpatient stay across the Region is almost 5 days (range 3 to 8 days) and the average bed occupancy is 85% (range 33–100%). A mapping study on accreditation of health care institutions was also carried out in the Region. 

Several tools and guidelines were developed or updated. These include a conceptual and strategic approach for establishing family practice programmes, guidelines to scale up the community health workers’ programme in countries as an approach for moving towards universal health coverage, guidelines for establishing home health care programmes for the elderly, and a manual on community-based disaster risk reduction, developed in collaboration with the regional programme on emergency and humanitarian response. In addition, the patient safety assessment tool was revised and the patient safety curriculum for medical schools translated into Arabic and widely disseminated. 

All countries require support in building and sustaining effective family medicine programmes. This area will be given priority in 2014 by conducting an assessment of the current status of family practice in countries of the Region together with a review of international experience and development of approaches to strengthen family medicine to achieve universal health coverage.

Health information systems

The situation with regard to health information systems in the Region is highly variable. Many countries have several areas that require strengthening, including policy and legislation, human and material resources, indicators for monitoring and evaluation, and skills to collect, analyse and disseminate accurate and timely information to inform decision-making. Following the endorsement in 2012 of resolution EM/RC59/R.3 on health system strengthening, concerted efforts to support countries to improve their health information systems were undertaken. A situation analysis of civil registration and vital statistics was undertaken in all countries using a rapid assessment approach to identify major gaps and challenges. The results were discussed in a regional meeting of stakeholders with the aim of reaching consensus on ways and means to improve the level and quality of registration of births and deaths. Further in-depth assessments were conducted in nearly half of the countries, and the results were used to develop a regional strategy to strengthen civil registration and vital statistics which was endorsed by the Regional Committee (EM/RC60/R.7). 

In order to help countries to strengthen their health information systems, a core list of indicators covering three key areas – health risks and determinants, health status and health system performance – was developed. This was discussed in an intercountry meeting and the initiative of having an agreed list of indicators was subsequently endorsed by the Regional Committee. The current status in countries was reviewed in relation to each core indicator, in terms of data collection, data generation, analysis, dissemination and use for policy development and evaluation. The gaps identified in these areas will be discussed with countries in an intercountry meeting planned for 2014. A regional health observatory was launched to ensure that all health-related information are is accessible and used for better planning at both regional and country level, and this core list of indicators will be included in it. Some Member States have repeatedly reported differences between mortality estimates produced by the United Nations agencies and figures reported nationally. In order to reduce inconsistencies and to ensure timely and transparent consultation with national authorities, a meeting was held with countries on the maternal and child mortality estimates produced by the UN inter-agency groups for monitoring MDGs 4 and 5.

eHealth

There is only limited use of eHealth within health systems in the Region at present. National eHealth strategies need to be developed to meet the financial challenges to health systems, increasing demand for efficiency and higher expectations from citizens. The World Health Assembly (resolution WHA 66.24) has urged Member States to develop national policies and to plan for appropriate eHealth services and implementation of health data standards in their countries.

While several countries have embarked on initiatives of one kind or another, there is a recognized gap in national capacities to manage the development of national strategies and policies. Progress in the adoption and implementation of health data standards is slow and the lack of national networks to support flow of information within the health system is an impediment to the development of eHealth. 

The key considerations in developing a national strategy were highlighted at a regional meeting which also saw the launch of the HealthNet initiative to establish dedicated, reliable, operational national health networks. The Regional Office coordinated with national focal points to complete a survey on eHealth and innovation in women and children’s health conducted by the WHO Global Observatory on eHealth. Preliminary analysis shows that two of the nine countries concerned have partially implemented national eHealth policies, which now need updating, seven have at least one electronic information system to collect and report health data at the district level, and three have major women’s and children’s health initiatives that are supported by eHealth. 

 
Strengthening health systems for universal health coverage PDF Print

In 2012, the Regional Committee passed a resolution endorsing a proposed roadmap on strengthening health systems as a strategic priority, as well as necessary steps towards boosting universal coverage with quality health services at both the population and individual levels. The resolution was based on an in-depth analysis, conducted by the Regional Office in 2012, of the challenges facing health development in the Region and a review of WHO’s work in supporting Member States in addressing these challenges.

Health systems in the Region face many challenges that are generally cross-cutting in nature and apply to most countries irrespective of socioeconomic and health development. Addressing these challenges is critical to the achievement of universal health coverage. Countries have been categorized into three groups based on population health outcomes, health system performance and level of health expenditure (see Table 1)1. Countries in groups 2 and 3 face inadequate financing and a high share of out-of pocket expenditures for health. In some low-income countries, such payments are as high as 75% of the total health expenditure. High levels of out-of-pocket payment are a major impediment to the move towards universal health coverage (Figure 1). Other challenges relating to the lack of comprehensive, people-centred, and quality health care services, ensuring adequate health workforce, improving access to essential medicines and technologies and bridging the gaps that currently exist in health information systems will also have to be addressed in the journey to universal health coverage. The need for high-level political will and commitment to move towards universal health coverage with quality population and individual health services is the predominant challenge for many countries.

Table 1. Trends in key health outcomes in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, 1990–2010

Table 1. Trends in key health outcomes in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, 1990–2010*

Health status indicator

Group 1 countries

Group 2 countries

Group 3 countries

1990

2000

2010

1990

2000

2010

1990

2000

2010

Life expectancy at birth (years)

72.6

74.1

75.0

69.2

71.2

73.4

52.8

56.6

60.2

Maternal mortality ratio (per 100 000 live births)

24.0

18.0

17.0

115

79

63

750

625

360

Infant mortality rate (per 1000 live births)

17.5

8.5

36.5

19

95.5

71.5

Under 5 mortality rate (per 1000 live births)

21.5

9.5

45.5

22

126.5

97

Total fertility rate

5.2

3.9

2.2

5.6

3.7

2.9

6.6

6.3

6.0

* Values are medians
– Information not available
Source: Health systems strengthening in countries of the Eastern Mediterranean Region: challenges, priorities and options for future action. Technical paper presented to the WHO Regional Committee for the Eastern Mediterranean, Fifty-ninth session, 2012 (available at www.emro.who.int/about-who/rc59/).

Figure 1. Share of out-of-pocket in total health expenditure by country group, 2011 (%)

Figure 1. Share of out-of-pocket in total health expenditure by country group, 2011 (%)

Health financing and governance

WHO’s work in health financing was rejuvenated following the publication of the World Health Report 2010, which focused on reforming health financing systems to move towards universal health coverage. In 2012, requests were received from countries in all the three groups for support in this area. WHO has also focused on building the national capacities to generate the evidence needed to inform equitable, efficient and sustainable health financing policies. This included a capacity-building workshop in the new system of health accounts (SHA 2011) provided to health financing experts from 11 countries and a capacity-building exercise on the use of the new WHO tool OASIS (Organizational assessment for improving and strengthening health financing), aimed at assessing the bottlenecks undermining health financing systems performance. The Regional Office prioritized the assessment of progress towards universal health coverage in the Region. An assessment framework was developed and implementation is planned in 2013. This is intended to support Member States and WHO in monitoring equity in health financing and progress towards social health protection.

Two events provided opportunity for Member States to share experiences in reforming health financing systems to move towards universal health coverage: a policy dialogue between ministers of finance and health on “Value for money, sustainability and accountability in the health sector”, held in Tunisia for African Member States in collaboration with the African Development Bank and other development agencies; and a side session on health financing and universal health coverage, held during the 59th session of the Regional Committee. The two events have engaged countries in the current global debates around health care financing and its vital role in promoting the agenda of universal health coverage. The events were followed by a high-level seminar on health financing organized in Cairo in January 2013.

The purpose of employing the various health financing analytical tools is to generate results that can be used in national policy dialogues around the future of health financing in the specific local contexts. The Regional Office has facilitated such dialogues and focused discussions around health financing in Libya, Oman and Tunisia and provided technical support to other countries. The work to map health financing and assess where countries stand in terms of their health financing system goals and the move towards universal health coverage is progressing and has attracted the attention of a range of policy-makers.

The capacity of ministries of health in formulating and evaluating evidence-based policies and plans and in regulating the health sector is often inadequate and varies between countries. The engagement of key non-health sectors, which is essential in developing and implementing health policies as an integral part of national development plans, needs to be strengthened in almost all countries. Effective mechanisms need to be put in place for facilitating multisectoral action, based on international experience and lessons learned. The potential contribution of the private health sector to public health remains untapped. At the same time, the sector is not sufficiently regulated to ensure quality and prevent inappropriate practices. The private sector rivals the public sector in provision of primary health care services in several group 2 and 3 countries. However, its role is not well defined, its capacities poorly understood, and its practices not well monitored. Information is commonly lacking or insufficient about many of its functions, about the range of services it provides in different countries and about the financial burden to the users of these services. Based on resolution EM/RC59/R.3, a focus on the private sector has been included in the programme of work of the Regional Office in 2013.

In the area of governance, a number of advisory missions were undertaken. A multi-partner mission to Pakistan made recommendations to the Government following the decision to abolish the Ministry of Health and devolve the health sector to the provinces. An in-depth review of the health system in Morocco was undertaken following the recent constitutional amendment that recognized health as a human right, and a series of missions to Libya included an in-depth review of the health system and assessment of primary health care facilities and hospitals.

The work on health policy and governance also focused on capacity-building and country support in more than half of the countries of the Region. The health system profiles of four countries were updated and profiles of another four countries are in the process of publication.

Health information systems

The health information systems are generally weak in many countries and need to be improved, especially in quality and timeliness of reporting. There are important gaps in all countries of the Region. Data collection is fragmented and often duplicated and key areas related to monitoring of health status, health outcomes and health system performance are either missing or poorly integrated into the national health information system. More specifically, there are major gaps in reporting of cause-specific mortality and health facility records, in conducting regular health surveys, in routine and other data collection activities and in the availability of information disaggregated by age, gender, location and/or socioeconomic status; all coupled with a scarcity of human resources trained in epidemiology and health information systems. Important variations in regional and country estimates are also observed. In discussions with Member States, coordination and strengthening collaboration in the development and reporting of estimates emerged as key priorities and will receive focus in 2013.

The strengthening of capacity in health information is also important, for decision-making and developing and evaluating policies and plans. This was emphasized by the Regional Committee in resolution EM/RC59/R.3. Civil registration and vital statistics (CRVS) received special attention in 2012. Registration of births and deaths needs strengthening in almost all countries. A rapid assessment of CRVS systems was conducted to establish a baseline of the current situation and identify gaps and priorities for improvement. The results show that almost 40% of countries have either inadequate or weak systems, and only 25% have satisfactory systems. However, overall, these systems serve only 5.3% of the population in the Region. A satisfactory level of CRVS system reflects its ability to produce data of sufficient quality to adequately cover the needs for policy- and decision-making and for monitoring the impact of interventions and development programmes. These results have paved the way for conducting a comprehensive assessment, in collaboration with relevant partners and stakeholder, as a first step in the development of country action plans for CRVS.

The Regional Office launched a Regional Health Observatory, which is directly accessible through the regional web site, to support the dissemination and use of health information. This is now the main source for country health-related information, drawing on more than 40 databases and 800 indicators collected since 1990.

WHO’s work in 2013 will aim to develop technical guidance on the essential elements of health information systems, including consensus on a core list of indicators covering health risks and determinants, health outcomes (morbidity and mortality) and health system performance.

Health workforce development

Most countries need to develop a balanced, motivated, well-distributed and well-managed health workforce with the appropriate skills mix. The overall workforce density in the Region is below the global average of 4 skilled health workers per 1000 population. Eight countries (Afghanistan, Djibouti, Iraq, Morocco, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen) are classified as facing a crisis in human resources for health, largely due to insufficient measures to facilitate market entry, such as lack of preparation of the workforce through strategic investment in education and effective and ethical recruitment practices. Another challenge is inadequate workforce performance due to lack of adequate continuing education and training, as well as poor management practices in the public and private sectors. Policies for retention of health workers and for managing migration and attrition to reduce wasteful loss of human resources are also lacking, despite the magnitude of the problem.

There are serious challenges to ensuring access to quality nursing education in the Region, in particular inadequate investment and the low priority given to nursing education; lack of capacity in nursing schools in terms of the availability of trainers as well as infrastructure; the need to further update nursing curricula in order to bridge the service–education gap; the limited institutional capacity to offer post-basic training programmes; and inadequate emphasis on continuous professional development programmes.

Human resources observatories in Afghanistan and Palestine were set up to support health workforce development. The Regional Office has promoted several regional tools to strengthen the capacity for workforce governance and planning, such as a guide for accreditation of health professions programmes, and tools to optimize staff workload in health facilities and to make workforce projections.

Initiatives to strengthen nursing and midwifery training included support to several countries in developing their national strategic plans. The leadership and management training programme, developed by the International Council of Nurses with WHO support, continued in several countries.

All countries are currently facing some gaps in health workforce development, mainly in the areas of production, distribution, training and continuing education, and retention, although the type and magnitude varies between countries. Addressing these gaps and developing effective and feasible strategies in these areas will require an in-depth review and analysis of existing regional and international experience and lessons learned. Health workforce development is an areas that will require greater attention in the next two years.

Integrated service delivery

Many countries are making efforts to establish effective family practice programmes as the principal vehicle for delivering primary health care and increasing access and coverage of population to health care services. Family practice is an overarching model of care delivery that contributes to moving toward universal health coverage. The challenges include the lack of adequately trained family physicians, nurses and other practitioners, maldistribution of the health workforce and insufficient engagement with hospitals to provide the necessary back-up and support.

There is a need to review international and regional experience and lessons learned based on workable models of family practice and develop guidance on feasible strategies to strengthen family practice in the Region and these areas will be the focus of attention in the coming period.

Patient safety and health system strengthening component of the global health initiatives

Support for patient safety continued with the expansion of the Patient Safety Friendly Hospital Initiative to more countries. The patient safety assessment manual was translated into Arabic and the second edition is being finalized. The patient safety multi-professional curriculum guide developed by WHO was launched; several medical schools have started to integrate it in the training curricula. Work is under way to develop a patient safety improvement toolkit that includes practical steps and needed actions for building a comprehensive patient safety improvement programme.

System-wide barriers, relating to accessibility, availability and affordability of health care, are a substantial challenge to the implementation of public health programmes, affecting the provision of services and reducing programme performance. Poor health system performance is also a constraint. In the area of health system management, a study on decentralization in 10 countries and another study on hospital management and performance assessment in 12 countries were conducted and the results shared.

Several Member States have benefited from the health system strengthening component of the global health initiatives, e.g. GAVI Alliance, Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria and International Health Partnerships Plus (IHP+). Over a five-year period, funds provided by the GAVI Alliance for strengthening health systems totalled US$ 160 million and by the Global Fund US$120 million. In most countries these funds are largely channelled through national governments, with technical support provided by WHO in the development of proposals for new rounds of funding, implementation monitoring and capacity-building. Countries that have used these funds well have demonstrated good progress towards health system strengthening. However, performance varies across countries and use of the funds is sometimes caught up in extensive government procedures. Three countries have also signed the IHP+ compact. This is not a funding initiative but encourages countries and partners to agree on one national health plan. There is variation in the extent to which the countries have shown commitment to IHP+.

Many countries in the Region face complex emergencies and most health systems are not well prepared to respond to these situations and are not resilient in extended emergencies. These countries need to be supported to enhance their collaboration, coordination, planning, communications and information exchange capacities.

Essential medicines and technologies

There is insufficient access to essential technologies (medicines, vaccines, biological and medical devices) in most countries in groups 2 and 3 and irrational use is common. While almost all countries have national regulatory authorities, performance needs to be improved. Most authorities focus on the regulation of medicines and not on the regulation of biological products, medical devices and clinical technologies including laboratories. Quality management, monitoring the private sector, and protecting public goods from commercial interests are weak and require attention.

In the area of essential technologies, six pharmaceutical country profiles were developed, national medicine policy documents were updated for two countries and five additional countries joined the good governance for medicines programme. National transparency assessment reports on vulnerability to corruption in the pharmaceutical sector were drafted for three countries and support was provided to more than 10 national regulatory authorities on good manufacturing practice inspections.

Capacity-building was supported in order to strengthen coordination between policy-makers and regulators on the proper use and evaluation of vaccines, such as diphtheria-tetanus-pertussis (DTP) and DTP-combo vaccines, as well as vaccine safety systems. Afghanistan, Sudan and Yemen received support to enhance their vaccine pharmacovigilance systems.

In the area of health technology and medical devices, missions to assess health technology infrastructure and management were conducted in several countries. In collaboration with WHO headquarters, a second wave of the global survey on medical devices was launched. Over 70% of Member States participated in this round compared to 40% in the first one. Results indicated that only 5% of the Member States of the Region have established policies and coordination units for medical devices, 29% have regulation and inventory systems and 16% have developed national procurement and maintenance guidelines. An intercountry consultation in this area of work will be organized in 2013.

1. Group 1: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates; Group 2: Egypt, Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syrian Arab Republic, Tunisia; Group 3: Afghanistan, Djibouti, Pakistan, Somalia, South Sudan, Sudan, Yemen

 
Strengthening health systems for universal health coverage PDF Print

Universal health coverage

In 2014 WHO focused on providing Member States with technical support in implementing the commitments made in Regional Committee resolutions EM/RC59/R.3 (2012) and EM/RC60/R.2 (2013). A framework for action for progressing towards universal health coverage, and linking the various commitments, was endorsed by the Regional Committee in its 61st session in October 2014.

Health financing

Health financing strategies that are evidence-based and context-specific are essential to pursuing the goal of universal health coverage. The lack of information about the institutional and organizational arrangements of the health financing systems and the flow of funds in several countries of the Region hampers efforts to develop evidence-based health financing strategies. In addition, the limited national expertise in health financing in general, and in specific health financing arrangements such as social health insurance, in particular, is critical to moving ahead.

WHO support in developing health financing strategies involved building national capacity in generating quantitative and qualitative information by following national health accounts and the OASIS (organizational assessment for improving and strengthening health financing) approach, respectively. The focus of technical support shifted from advocacy for health financing to skills development in areas such as establishment of social health insurance programmes, strategic purchasing and multisectorality and universal health coverage, by organizing regional consultations and developing policy papers. The capacity of a pool of experts and researchers is being developed in the areas of measurement of financial risk protection, as part of monitoring progress towards universal health coverage, and in undertaking economic evaluation studies.

Country-level technical support was provided to several countries to formulate a national vision, strategy and roadmap to move towards universal health coverage. This was preceded by several diagnostic studies as related to the various health financing functions.

The work in 2015 will continue to focus on key interventions for action towards universal health coverage, including a national vision, strategy and roadmap for universal health coverage that is fully integrated within the national policy framework, expansion of social health insurance schemes, extending financial protection to the informal and vulnerable segments of the population and reduction of out-of-pocket payments.

Health governance and human rights

Evidence-informed policies, strategies and plans are a cornerstone for progressing towards universal health coverage. Most countries do not have adequate capacity in ministries of health to formulate evidence-informed policies and strategic plans, and have limited access to, and use of, quality data for informing policy and strategy development. The current political instability and social crisis seen across much of the Region, and the limited alignment and harmonization among development partners to support one national health plan, are some of the additional challenges faced by several countries in groups 2 and 3 1 .

Ongoing efforts to assess the status of national health planning has provided a better picture of the overall strengths, weaknesses and challenges facing health policy and planning in ministries of health. In an effort to build the capacity of WHO country offices to support countries in their national health policy formulation and planning processes, senior WHO staff attended workshops on strategic health planning, conducted in collaboration with the Nuffield School of Public Health and Centre for International Development, University of Leeds, United Kingdom. It is planned to build national capacities in strategic health planning and health sector regulation, and to review, in selected countries, the status of coordination among development partners and the effectiveness of external assistance.

The Region has longstanding challenges in relation to gender equality, equity and human rights in health. Extended conflicts, rising levels of poverty, varying degrees of inequity and the existence of vulnerable and marginalized groups are important underlying factors. The lack of disaggregated data and vulnerability assessment to inform public health policies and guide actions through a “human rights lens” continues.

A review of the existing evidence and gaps and continued advocacy have helped to better integrate gender, equity and human rights across the work of the Organization. A course on health and human rights was developed and piloted in Egypt in collaboration with the American University in Cairo. The course has been externally evaluated and is being conducted in Pakistan and offered to other countries in 2015.

Public health law and legislation need updating, and the capacities of ministries of health in formulating, implementing and monitoring legislation need strengthening. A review of the status and capacities for regulating the private health sector was completed in four countries and a manual is currently being developed in collaboration with WHO headquarters. During 2015, the focus will be to build ministry of health capacities in strategic planning through training of national staff and through provision of user-friendly guidance for developing effective strategic plans. Attention will be given to capacity-building in health legislation, regulation, standard-setting and enforcement, with focus on the private sector. The effectiveness of external assistance and the status of aid flow in countries, particularly those facing conflict situations, will be assessed.

Further to the request of Member States, WHO launched a regional initiative in 2013 to assess public health capacity in countries, through identification of essential public health functions relevant to the context of the Region. In 2014, two country assessments were conducted, in Qatar and Morocco, with the support of WHO and a team of international public health experts. Through this assessment, countries led by their ministries of health, are able to identify the strengths in their public health systems as well as areas that require reinforcement. In May 2015 WHO brought together a small group of international public health experts and representatives from the two countries that conducted the assessment to discuss the experience, review the tool and refine the assessment and follow-up process. Currently, the assessment tools are being revised to make them more user friendly, following which the initiative will be offered to other countries.

Health workforce development

The health workforce situation continues to reflect global trends with regard to numerical shortages, inequitable distribution, retention and performance. Overall health workforce density is suboptimal and maldistribution, retention, migration and over-dependence on expatriate health workforce are daunting challenges that impede progress towards universal health coverage in several countries. Lack of institutional capacity for national health workforce planning is another impediment and information sources are inadequate.

While the gaps in the development of the health workforce are clear, solutions to address these gaps are not always clear. To respond to this challenge, a regional strategic framework for health workforce was developed, following a critical review by a group of international experts and a regional consultation to help move the health workforce agenda forward. The framework will be aligned with the global workforce strategy that is currently being developed by WHO headquarters and the Global Health Workforce Alliance.

After a gap of almost two decades, the area of medical education was revisited and a comprehensive online survey undertaken targeting over 300 medical schools. Among other things, the survey confirmed a move towards the privatization of medical education, while also showing inadequate regulation, lack of accreditation systems, teacher-centered curricula, and use of traditional assessment methods unlinked to learning outcomes and competencies. The results were presented at a meeting of regional and international leaders in medical education. A road map was developed to guide medical schools in becoming more socially accountable, community-oriented and accredited, in support of universal health coverage. The subject of medical education will be discussed by the Regional Committee at its 62nd session, following which countries will be expected to adapt the regional action framework based on national priorities.

Plans are under way to carry out a comprehensive review of the status of nursing and midwifery in the countries of the Region. The review is aimed at providing clear strategic directions based on practical and feasible actions that are evidence-based and guided by reliable information and good practices.

Technical support was provided to the Arab Administrative Development Organization of the League of Arab States for the conference on migration of health workers. The Regional Office participated in the ninth annual meeting of the International Association of National Public Health Institutes, which was held for the first time in the Eastern Mediterranean Region. A side-meeting of regional public health institutes was organized to encourage networking and development of collaborative programmes to strengthen public health in the Region.

The fellowships programme continued to support countries in building national capacities in the five regional priority areas, with 74 fellows benefiting from across the Region. The programme was closely involved in organizing the Leadership for Health programme in collaboration with the Harvard School of Public Health. This was launched in early 2015 with the aim of developing future public health leaders who can address, in a proactive way, national and local health problems that have direct impact on population health, and play active roles in the global public health sphere. The programme was conducted in two parts, in Geneva and Muscat, and both components were highly rated by the participants and facilitators. Based on initial success and high demand, the second round of the programme will commence in November 2015.

Particular emphasis will be given in 2015 to helping countries develop national health workforce strategies and action plans, and to implement the strategies to strengthen medical education and nursing and midwifery. New initiatives will include assessment of continuous professional development for physicians and improved reporting by countries on the implementation of the WHO Code of Practice for the International Recruitment of Health Personnel.

Essential medicines and technologies

Pharmaceutical sector country profiles developed during 2014 highlighted gaps in key areas related to regulatory authorities for medicines, including: organizational structure and technical capacity; national medicines policies; transparency and accountability in regulation and supply of medical products; mechanisms to contain antimicrobial resistance; promotion/advertising of medical products; and access to controlled medicines, including medicines for pain management.

Approaches to strengthening regulatory capacity for medicines and medical devices were discussed during the Eastern Mediterranean Drug Regulatory Authorities Conference held in May 2014. Prior to the conference, a survey of 17 national regulatory authorities revealed that the majority (80%) of authorities have core regulatory functions in place and all are responsible for the registration of medical products. Only 40% of national regulatory authorities undertake fast-track registration of WHO prequalified medicines whereas 80% undertake fast-track vaccine registration.

Work progressed in good governance for medicines in 16 countries. In a regional meeting focus was placed on conflict of interest management as a priority issue in governance policies. The good governance for medicines programme in the Region is the most developed among all WHO regions, with 6 countries in phase I; 7 in phase II and 3 in phase III. The updated pharmaceutical sector profiles for all countries revealed that access to controlled medicines for pain management and mental disorders remains very limited and patients are therefore suffering when they should not have to. Progress was made in the area of health technology assessment, regulation and management with the creation of the Eastern Mediterranean Regional Health Technology Assessment Network for information exchange and knowledge sharing. This was an outcome of the second intercountry meeting on development of national health technology assessment. A regional survey was conducted to map health technology assessment resources. The survey, which targeted health technology-related officials and champions in 15 countries, showed that 52% of regional entities perform assessment-like actives that are mainly related to measurement of clinical effectiveness and economic evaluation of medical devices and medicines. The survey indicated the need to re-organize and/or initiate assessment activities in the Region in order to make rational investments to health technologies that are accessible for the majority of the population.

In 2014, the first two medical products produced by a local pharmaceutical company in Egypt and the first medicine quality control laboratory in the private sector in Pakistan were prequalified by WHO. National medicine quality control laboratories in two other countries are in the process of becoming prequalified by WHO.

In 2015, focus will be placed on the implementation of Health Assembly resolutions on strengthening regulatory systems for medical products, including strengthening pharmacovigilance. Reporting on counterfeit medical products will be strengthened. In line with the global action plan on antimicrobial resistance, support will be provided for development of national plans to strengthen surveillance of antimicrobial resistance and the responsible use of antimicrobial medicines.

Integrated service delivery

Most countries in the Region are committed to strengthening family practice. However, implementation is uneven and inconsistent. An assessment of the status of family practice revealed significant gaps in terms of political commitment, patient registration, packages of essential health services, essential medicines lists, referral systems and staff. Another big challenge is the insufficiency of trained family physicians and the inability of current training programmes to meet the enormous needs.

A lack of quality care at primary health care level and the unregulated expansion of the private health sector in most group 2 and 3 countries pose additional challenges. Public sector hospitals consume a significant proportion of health budgets, do not meet standards of quality and safety in many countries and in others are increasingly dependent on user fees. Hospitals are generally not integrated within the health system and do not provide referral support.

Family practice has been promoted as the principal approach to achieving people-centred integrated services. A situation analysis of the current status of family practice programmes and training for family physicians was presented at a regional consultation organized in collaboration with the World Organization of Family Doctors. The results of a 2014 situation analysis revealed that most countries have developed, and just over half are implementing, an essential package of services, a system of patient registration and family/individual folders is practised in half the countries, and the referral system is partially or fully functional in five countries. However, more than 90% of physicians working in primary care facilities are not trained in family medicine. Family medicine departments are available in 13 countries and the annual output of family physicians is 700, the majority of whom are from group 1 countries.

A roadmap was developed to strengthen service delivery through the family practice approach and is aligned with the framework for action for progressing towards universal health coverage. During 2015, the work on scaling up family practice as the principal approach to people-centred integrated health care will continue to be promoted. A particular task will be to share evidence on how to scale up the production of family physicians in the short and medium term.

Several studies were also undertaken to better understand the private health sector, including assessment of the quality and cost of care in the private health sector in six countries and of the status of private sector regulation in four countries, as well as a review of the lessons in public–private partnership. These studies were presented at a regional consultation which resulted in identification of a number of priorities in regard to work with the private sector.

A regional consultation on addressing the quality and safety of care was organized in collaboration with the Central Board for Accreditation of Healthcare Institutions, Saudi Arabia. The Patient safety assessment manual, published in 2011, was updated and field tested in two countries and a tool kit for patient safety was developed. A framework for assessing and improving quality at the primary care level is currently being piloted. Capacity building will be intensified in the areas of patient safety and quality, assessment, regulation and partnership with the private health sector and hospital care and management.

Hospital care and management is a new area of work that is being given increasing attention. The focus has been to develop a comprehensive analysis of the status of public sector hospitals in the Region. A course on hospital management was offered in collaboration with the Aga Khan University, Karachi, for countries in conflict. The course is being updated and will then be rolled out to the Region.

Technical support was also provided to eligible countries for new applications for support from the Gavi, The Vaccine Alliance for health system strengthening worth US$ 85 million. Concurrently, health system capacity development workshops were conducted in order to build capacity of programme managers from these countries.

Health information systems

Intensive work took place in reviewing health information systems in the Region through expert consultations, intercountry meetings and rapid and comprehensive assessments. Gaps and challenges were identified and an approach was developed to strengthen the national health information systems. The resultant framework for health information systems and core indicators, which were endorsed by the Regional Committee (EM/RC61/R.1), will provide clear guidance for countries. The regional health information framework and its core indicators cover three areas: health risks and determinants, health status and health system performance.

The emphasis placed on strengthening cause-specific mortality statistics, as recommended in the regional strategy to strengthen civil registration and vital statistics systems endorsed by the Regional Committee in 2013, resulted in an increase in the number of countries reporting mortality statistics, from 7 countries (Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, Oman and Qatar) to 12 countries (with the addition of Islamic Republic of Iran, Palestine, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia and United Arab Emirates). The quality of information reported improved somewhat but there is still work to be done to obtain optimal quality. A WHO collaborating centre was established in Kuwait to support further improvement in mortality statistics and better use of the WHO family of international classification.

In the next two years, WHO is committed to supporting Member States in their endeavours to strengthen their health information systems, based on the new framework, and provide reliable information that will enable them to monitor health determinants and risks and health status and assess health system response, which, in turn, will inform policy and decision-making for better health care delivery. WHO will also continue to support Member States in addressing the gaps in their civil registration and vital statistics systems, which were demonstrated by the rapid and comprehensive assessments conducted over the past two years.

Research development and innovation

A regional meeting was held for members of the Eastern Mediterranean Advisory Committee on Health Research and research experts to discuss integrating research in shaping the future of health in the Region. The meeting focused on the identification of research priorities related to the five regional strategic priorities. This exercise is expected to conclude in January 2016 and the results will guide research activities for 2016–2017. The call for proposals for the special grant for research in priority areas of public health for 2104 was also focused on the strategic priorities. Twelve awards ranging from US$ 10 000 to US$ 20 000 were granted in early 2015.


1 Three groups of countries are defined in the Region, based on population health outcomes, health system performance and level of health expenditure are: group 1: Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and United Arab Emirates; group 2: Egypt, Islamic Republic of Iran, Iraq, Jordan, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Palestine, Syrian Arab Republic and Tunisia; group 3: Afghanistan, Djibouti, Pakistan, Somalia, Sudan and Yemen.

 


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