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 and the Ministry of Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) 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. Key program areas include reinforcing health systems and WASH systems through policy, supporting the development of universal health coverage (UHC), and creating an environment that encourages family planning. HP+ concentrates on several program areas in Madagascar, including designing, disseminating, and monitoring a national health policy, reviewing and disseminating the national community health policy, and developing, adopting, and disseminating a WASH sector plan. The project also supports the development of UHC, including implementing the 2015 UHC strategy, developing a standardized action plan for UHC implementation, and conducting a health financing system assessment. Additionally, HP+ supports increased mobilization of sustainable resources for the health and WASH sectors through data analysis and use, institutionalizing national health accounts, and developing an investment case for maternal, newborn, child, adolescent, and reproductive health. HP+ also focuses on creating an environment that encourages family planning, including 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 and disseminating the new reproductive health/family planning law. The project aims to contribute to improving access for women and mothers to quality health and family planning services, ultimately supporting the Malagasy government's efforts to achieve a healthy population. The HP+ project is a five-year cooperative agreement funded by USAID, beginning August 28, 2015. The project is implemented by Palladium, in collaboration with several international partners, including Avenir Health, Futures Group Global Outreach, Plan International USA, Population Reference Bureau, RTI International, the White Ribbon Alliance for Safe Motherhood (WRA), and ThinkWell.