APPRAISAL OF HEALTH MANAGEMENT SYSTEMS

Evaluation covers the period 9/77-1/81 and consists of a review of project documents, previous evaluations, and responses by the Association of Universities of Public Health Administration (AUPHA), the contractor. According to the evaluation team (ET) report of 7/80, the project design, both originally and as amended in 1978, was unrealistic and revealed a misunderstanding of Ministry and Mission needs and interests. The Project Technical Coordinating Committee, at its meeting in 1/81, seemed to share this view. The ET also considered the project"s objectives as beyond any contractor"s capability and faulted the project for aiming at universally applicable tools. Given the changes in the project thus far, the project manager should ensure that a congruence of purpose is maintained between A.I.D. and AUPHA. Despite differing emphases regarding the academic versus practical nature of the drafts for guidelines to be produced by AUPHA, both A.I.D. and AUPHA agree that the final form of these guidelines should be practical, self-appraisal tools. Most of the ET"s recommendations were incorporated into a second project amendment of 9/80, which called for the analysis of process and training needs and testing of guidelines to accompany field consultations. The users manual was dropped and extended work in Jordan endorsed. The recommendations to reduce the number of guideline papers and of planned consultancies were not, however, included. A reduced consultation plan was recommended by the Project Technical Committee in 1/81. Still to be agreed upon are the number and nature of several reports, analysis and training materials called for in the 9/80 amendment, and the number of field consultations. It is recommended that emphasis be placed on analyzing, monitoring, and reviewing AUPHA"s technical assistance in building literature which will assist Mission planning and provide a base for further analytical work; that assistance to Jordan and Ecuador be continued at its present pace; and that papers not useful in the field be de-emphasized.