Enabling Equitable Health Reforms Project in Albania: First Annual Report – FY2011

The project began in October 2010 with the objective of supporting the implementation of health reforms in Albania. The project office was established in Tirana, and the project team established contact and collaborative working relationships with the Government of Albania (GOA) counterparts and other stakeholders. In Year 1, the project focused on studying the landscape, identifying challenges and opportunities to implementing reform, developing analysis criteria and tools, and collaborating with key health actors to agree on each step of the process of identifying priority reforms and project activities in the regions. A number of assessments, studies, and activities were conducted to support the establishment of the overarching health sector governance mechanism and initiate discussions with stakeholders on priority reform areas, EEHR project activities, advocacy strategy and activities, and indicators of success. The project team conducted over 70 technical meetings and 5 field trips during the year, and the project faced few challenges, with the exception of a tight schedule for conducting the three reviews, which occurred around the time of the local elections. The project management was in flux, as the original Chief of Party (COP) departed in February 2011, and a series of interim COPs led the project until a permanent COP, John Rockett, arrived at post on September 4, 2011. The project is organized by an over-arching results framework, which is consistent with the four priority components of the Ministry's Health Sector Strategy: increasing the capacity to manage services and facilities in an efficient way, increasing access to effective health services, improving health system financing, and improving health system governance. The results framework includes four key results areas: Improved health reform policy and planning, Improved implementing capacities, Improved health reform communication and awareness, and Governance structure and institutional roles and relationships defined and enacted. The EEHR Project has established a number of key partnerships, including with the Government of Albania, civil society organizations, and other stakeholders. The project has also developed a number of key tools and mechanisms, including a Performance-Based Monitoring Plan (PBMP) and a Small Grants Project, which provides grants of up to $25,000 to NGOs engaged in health sector advocacy, service delivery, or other related activity supporting EEHR project goals. The project has made significant progress in Year 1, including the establishment of the project office, the development of key partnerships and tools, and the initiation of discussions with stakeholders on priority reform areas and project activities. The project is under-spending slightly, as the grants program and some training activities were postponed to better align with the timing of the process of collaborative determination of priority reforms for implementation.