Health Policy Plus: Madagascar

Agency for International Development (USAID), implemented by a consortium of partners led by Palladium. The mission of HP+ is to strengthen and advance health policy priorities at global, national, and subnational levels. The project aims to improve the enabling environment for equitable and sustainable health services, supplies, and delivery systems through policy design, implementation, and financing. In Madagascar, HP+ supports the Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) and other key ministries in the areas of policy, advocacy, financing, and governance. The project assists the Malagasy government in implementing its priorities in reducing maternal, newborn, and child morbidity and mortality and improving access to potable water via policy and financing. HP+ concentrates on reinforcing health systems and water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) systems through policy, supporting the MOPH and the ministry responsible for water, sanitation, and hygiene with development, dissemination, and monitoring of policies and strategies to strengthen these systems. HP+ supports the development of universal health coverage (UHC) by assisting the MOPH with implementing its 2015 UHC strategy, which aims to improve access to healthcare, particularly for vulnerable populations. The project promotes consultative discussion among stakeholders on future health financing strategies and reforms, conducts a health financing system assessment to guide future reforms, and builds an evidence base to promote health system reforms. HP+ also supports increased mobilization of sustainable resources for the health and WASH sectors by institutionalizing national health accounts to guide annual MOPH work plans and developing an investment case for reproductive, maternal, newborn, child, and adolescent health and nutrition for the Global Financing Facility. HP+ supports the Malagasy government in creating an environment that encourages family planning by developing and executing a Costed Implementation Plan (CIP) for family planning, conducting a legal and environmental assessment of the context governing reproductive health and family planning programming in Madagascar, and updating, advocating for adoption, disseminating, and implementing the new reproductive health/family planning law and associated ministerial decrees to improve access and availability to family planning for all women. The project also models the demographic dividend, which will be used for advocacy and in the development of strategies and policies.