Leadership, Management and Governance/Afghanistan Trip Report: Dr. Steve Sapirie (February 28 – March 15, 2015)

The project will also support capacity building of the Ministry of Education (MoE). The LMG Afghanistan program is an 18-month intervention starting in September 1, 2012, and extending to January 31, 2014, with a total budget of $25,400,800. An 8-month extension was granted, with associated additional funding of approximately $4 million. Dr. Steve Sapirie, Senior Technical Advisor for HIS Strategic Planning, traveled to Kabul, Afghanistan, from February 28 to March 15, 2015, to work closely with the HMIS, Research, M&E, IDSR, and IT departments of the MoPH for the revision of the Health Information System Strategic Plan. The objectives of the trip included conducting a comprehensive literature review of HIS strategic plan-related documents, preparing a schedule of activities for the revision of the HIS strategic plan, and establishing a stakeholder working group for HIS strategy revision. The HIS Strategic Planning process was set up, staffed, and put into continuous action, with full participation from all levels. A practical set of steps and products were agreed upon, allowing for considerable product development in a short period. The products of the steps thus far are of reasonable quality and enjoy consensus across the planning participants and leadership. The process benefitted from total self-management and direction by the HIS Core Team and its director, Dr. Saeedzai, demonstrating the advancement being made by the MoPH in terms of Leadership Development, Management, organization development, governance, and process mastery and ownership. The next steps include a variety of writing tasks and document finalization in support of completing an agreed outline for the plan document, review and improvement of existing Vision, Objectives, and Intervention definitions, and completion of an Intervention Implementation plan. Dr. Saeedzai, DG HIS, is responsible for these tasks, with a due date of April 1. The Core Planning Team and the participative working group will also conduct specified activities, including an IT planning discussion and a 1-day consultation to present the plan framework to all MoPH departments and involved donors and projects. Key individuals contacted during the assignment include Dr. Saeedzai, Director General of the HIS Department, who is moving to the MoPH. The LMG Afghanistan program will continue to support the capacity building of the MoPH and MoE, with a focus on strengthening the health information system and improving the quality of health services in Afghanistan.