Quarterly Technical Performance Report: Fiscal Year 15, Quarter Three

The project 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 make a larger impact when implemented across health systems building blocks. FORSSAS collaborates across the Ministry of Health (MISAU) and the Ministry of Gender, Children, and Social Action (MGCAS) to achieve its objectives. During the period of April 1, 2015, through June 30, 2015, FORSSAS made significant progress in various areas. Provincial Financial Procedures Manual workshops were completed, with a total of five week-long workshops held in Zambezia, Nampula, Tete, Cabo Delgado, and Niassa Provinces. A total of 434 health professionals were trained in the country's standardized finance systems, in conjunction with MISAU. The project also outlined a Health Financing Strategy and restructured the Global Technical Forum (GTF) sub-groups for enhanced focus. A two-day workshop was held to discuss the outline for the health financing strategy, obtain consensus for GTF sub-group roles and membership, and confirm next steps for strategy-writing. The meeting also gathered comments on the National Health Accounts report to support FORSSAS specialists to finalize the study. Additionally, a current state analysis of bed net distribution was completed as part of the Business Case Analysis (BCA) activity. BCA kick-off meetings were organized in Maputo with PMI and MISAU, and interviews were conducted with mosquito bed net distribution stakeholders to map the current bed net distribution and understand capacity for future models. The project also resumed ongoing support to the Central Medical Store (CMAM) Monitoring and Evaluation (M&E) Department. The new CMAM M&E Officer joined the project on June 8, 2015, and identified areas of collaboration between CMAM M&E and MISAU M&E Departments. The Officer also re-initiated efforts to develop Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) for CMAM performance indicators, including Performance Indicator Reference Sheets (PIRS) and documentation of the methodology for data collection and analysis. The project's progress is guided by four key result areas: effective governance, integrated finance, sustainable operational capacity, and strengthened human resources management. The project's approach recognizes that system improvements make a larger impact when implemented across health systems building blocks. The project's results framework includes four intermediate results (IRs) and sub-IRs that guide project implementation. The IRs are: 1) increased effectiveness in health governance, 2) improved management of health sector financing, 3) strengthened management and operations capacity, and 4) improved management and retention of health and social welfare staff. Overall, FORSSAS has made significant progress in various areas, including training health professionals, outlining a health financing strategy, and completing a current state analysis of bed net distribution. The project's approach recognizes that system improvements make a larger impact when implemented across health systems building blocks, and its progress is guided by four key result areas.