MOZAMBIQUE FORSSAS HEALTH AND SOCIAL WELFARE SYSTEMS STRENGTHENING QUARTERLY TECHNICAL PERFORMANCE REPORT: Fiscal Year 16, Quarter Two

The project, led by Deloitte Consulting, aims to strengthen governance and supply chain processes, improve health sector funds management, enhance management and operations capacity, and strengthen the health and social welfare workforce in Mozambique. The project's approach recognizes that system improvements have a larger impact when implemented across health systems building blocks. The project's key result areas are effective governance, integrated finance, sustainable operational capacity, and strengthened human resources management. The project's results framework includes four intermediate results (IRs) and several sub-IRs that guide project implementation. During the quarter, FORSSAS experienced significant progress across all project work streams. In IR1, the project supported the finalization of the Conta de Gerência 2015 with the technical team, which was the first time in the Central Medical Store's history that the annual financial report was prepared and presented. This achievement contributes to growing compliance with Government legislation. In IR2, the Health Financing Advisor delivered presentations on the health financing strategy document to key partners, and the project shared the draft document at various MISAU forums to solicit strategic insight and inputs. The project also finalized and submitted the National Health Account (NHA) report to MISAU. In IR3, the project technical staff supported the improvement of data quality tools for provinces by developing guidelines for the Directorate of Planning and Cooperation (DPC) and the Directorate of Information Systems (DIS). The team also assisted the M&E staff at the National Directorate of Public Health (DPS) to improve data collection for calculating indicators and project reporting. Under IR4, the project continued to support the development of the social welfare workforce through ongoing medium-level social welfare courses at the central and provincial levels. Thirty-four students started the course at the Instituto de Ciências de Saúde de Maputo (ICSM) at the beginning of the semester, and enrolled students are from three of Mozambique's southern regions. As the project enters its last three months, FORSSAS is working to institutionalize the processes and strategies developed since the project's inception and proactively prepare for project closeout activities. Close collaboration with USAID and the Government of the Republic of Mozambique (GRM) will enable the continuation of project best practices to take root over the next few months and into the future. The project's progress highlights the importance of strengthening governance and supply chain processes, improving health sector funds management, enhancing management and operations capacity, and strengthening the health and social welfare workforce in Mozambique. The project's achievements demonstrate its commitment to improving health outcomes and contributing to the country's development. The project's results framework includes four intermediate results (IRs) and several sub-IRs that guide project implementation. The IRs are: * IR1: Increased Effectiveness in Health Governance * IR2: Improved Management of Health Sector Financing * IR3: Strengthened Management and Operations Capacity * IR4: Improved Management and Retention of Health and Social Welfare Staff The project's progress highlights the importance of addressing constraints to the health and social welfare system in Mozambique. The project's achievements demonstrate its commitment to improving health outcomes and contributing to the country's development. * Sub-IR1.1: Strengthening procurement processes * Sub-IR1.2: Improving financial management functions * Sub-IR1.3: Enhancing internal audit capacity * Sub-IR2.1: Developing a health financing strategy * Sub-IR2.2: Improving health sector funds management * Sub-IR3.1: Developing data quality tools for provinces * Sub-IR3.2: Improving data collection for calculating indicators and project reporting * Sub-IR4.1: Developing the social welfare workforce through ongoing medium-level social welfare courses