USAID | Transparency in Health Engagement Activity Quarterly Report October - December 2018

The project envisions transparency in the health sector as a key feature of strong governance and a critical prerequisite for accountability. To address corruption issues in the health sector, the project is engaged in activities to build the capacity of the High State Audit (HSA), the High Inspectorate for the Declaration and Audit of Assets and the Prevention of Conflicts of Interest (HIDAACI), and the Ombudsperson Office to generate evidence through performance audits, complaints investigation, and asset reporting for sustainable transparency and accountability. The project is also working with civil society and media organizations to engage citizens to use their on-the-ground knowledge of corruption and problem solve on possible systems improvements. The project's goal is to increase the role and impact of performance audits in the health sector, develop a new electronic data system for improved outcomes, improve the capacities of the Ombudsperson Office to identify, refer, and publish corrupt practices, and engage civil society and media to enhance the anti-corruption work of the targeted institutions. During the third quarter period of Year 2 from October 1 through December 31, 2018, the project achieved several major milestones. The third Interinstitutional Technical Group meeting was organized with senior staff from partner institutions on October 9, 2018. The Mobile App for the Ombudsperson was launched on October 11, 2018, and assistance was provided to the office of the Ombudsman for the Mobile App rollout strategy. The Inter-Institutional Roundtable on Strengthening Institutional Transparency and Citizens Engagement for improved health care outcomes – Challenges and Opportunities was held on November 14, 2018. The project also finalized the Special Report on Functioning on the Waiting List for Diagnostic and Surgical Services at Mother Theresa University Hospital. A training for HIDAACI Staff on Best Practice Models of Asset Declaration was delivered by the Albanian Institute of Science on October 29, 2018. Assistance was provided to the Ombudsperson office for their Annual conference held on December 11th, by editing and printing copies of their Annual report. Technical assistance was provided to the Audit Performance Department at HSA in updating the performance Audit Procedures Manual. The project vendor ikubINFO delivered the first phase of users training to HIDAACI staff on EACIDS, December 18-21, 2018. A close out workshop was organized by Project Subgrantee together for Life on December 12, to advocate for patients' rights. A roundtable was organized by Project Subgrantee ARCT to present the findings of the Thematic Report “Transparency in Mental Health on December 20, 2018. Technical assistance was provided to the communication Directory of Hight State Audit to organize a series of events for the open month of the institution. Despite these achievements, the project faced several challenges during the reporting period. The delayed procurement and installation of the EACIDS hardware by the Council of Europe (CoE) resulted in further delays in the final installation and testing of the EACIDS system. The project worked with the local EACIDS vendor to revise the project plan to accommodate these delays. The project modified the purchase order twice in the reporting quarter to accommodate the revised activities. The project's activities are focused on building the capacity of the HSA, HIDAACI, and the Ombudsperson Office to generate evidence through performance audits, complaints investigation, and asset reporting for sustainable transparency and accountability. The project is also working with civil society and media organizations to engage citizens to use their on-the-ground knowledge of corruption and problem solve on possible systems improvements. The project's goal is to increase the role and impact of performance audits in the health sector, develop a new electronic data system for improved outcomes, and engage civil society and media to enhance the anti-corruption work of the targeted institutions. The project's geographic focus is on Albania, and the project is working with various stakeholders, including the government, civil society organizations, and media outlets, to promote transparency and accountability in the health sector. The project's timeframes are focused on the third quarter period of Year 2 from October 1 through December 31, 2018, and the project's recommendations are focused on revising the project plan to accommodate the delays in the installation and testing of the EACIDS system.