Governorate Health Account Data in Amran, Yemen – A Powerful Tool for Decision-makers
Jan 27 2010
Health Systems 20/20 (known in Yemen as the Yemen Partners for Health Reform YPHR Project) recently disseminated the results of the 2006 Amran Governorate Health Accounts (GHA) work at a conference held in Amran. Various representatives from the governorate and district authorities, including district health directors and the Amran General Director of Health, attended the conference.
Click here to watch a short broadcast clip of the Amran GHA conference.
Results from GHA findings in Amran indicate that per capita expenditure is $33.32 with the highest contribution coming from households ($21), followed by the public sector ($10), and donors ($2). Health expenditure in Amran is lower than the national average.
Acting YPHR director and GIS specialist, Abdul Kader Nueman, opened the event by thanking the Amran health office and governor for their on-going support and collaboration. Nueman reiterated the importance of the GHA and the Health Analyzer tool (used to analyze data about health facilities) in informing program and resource allocation decisions that impact the delivery of health services. YPHR GIS specialist Ammar Sabbar explained that information provided by the Health Analyzer on facility location, work hours, infrastructure, health services, equipment, etc. is valuable for a decision maker to identify service gaps and make informed decisions about where to allocate resources.
Dr. Abdul Ghani Al Ghozi, the Amran General Director of Health, stressed the importance of GHA as a tool that supports evidence-based decision-making and better advocacy for health resources. He expressed hope for institutionalizing the GHA so that in the future the exercise can be carried out without the assistance of donors. Dr. Al Ghozi encouraged the conference participants (district health officers, local authorities, the director general of education, the civil service general manager, the general manager of planning, and the governorate statistics department) to use the GHA results and the Health Analyzer tool to make informed decisions for the well-being of the residents of Amran. Discussion also focused on the importance of the GHA in holding health officials accountable for the decisions they make.
