Support for the development of the National Health Strategy of the Republic of Tajikistan for the period until 2030

28.11.2019
Dushanbe

Support for the development of the National Health Strategy of the Republic of Tajikistan for the period until 2030

Ministry of Health and Social Protection of the Population of the Republic of Tajikistan (MoHSPP), with support of the European Union and the World Health Organization Country Office in Tajikistan will hold a Roundtable meeting to discuss the preparations for the Joint Annual Review (JAR) of the National Health Strategy - 2030 together with the JAR secretariat, working groups and development partners at Dushanbe Plaza in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.

 

As shown by the results of NHS-2020 evaluation report while the health status and life expectancy of Tajikistan is improving, inequities remain large. The health system lacks strong governance, and is burdened with inadequate funding and resources, that continue to generate inequities in health. With communicable diseases remaining as a significant threat, and non-communicable diseases rising, implementing inter-sectoral policy approaches coherent with international targets requests immediate attention.

 

Building on achievements of the previous National Health Strategy, the NHS-2030 is envisioned as a forward-looking strategy to address the identified challenges in order to achieve better health and well-being of the population of Tajikistan. The strategy will be outcome-oriented and indicator-based and will be supported by an evaluation framework to monitor progress. The NHS-2030 is developed through an inclusive approach that allows for meaningful policy dialogue with main stakeholders involved.

The NHS-2030 strategy will:

  • Address the major issues identified in the health care system through focusing on the building blocks of health system: Health Governance, Health Financing, Health Service Delivery, and Resources for Health; with a focus on strengthened HMIS, more attention to social protection, and emphasis on cross cutting issues, the NHS2030 will provide a foundation for the next 10 years to strengthen the national health system of the country for attaining Universal Health Coverage (UHC).
  • Strengthen the governance of national health and wellbeing programmes with special emphasis on human rights, equity, gender, and social determinants of health;
  • Strengthen the public health system with a focus on integrated Primary Health Care (PHC) services;
  • Promote intersectoral collaboration for healthrelated issues as part of health governance for achieving policy coherence and advocating for health-in-all-policies in connection with related Sustainable Development Goals.

Throughout the process of this work a team of individual consultants with extensive knowledge and experience in supporting health reforms in Eastern Europe and Central Asia have been providing support to the NHS Secretariat and the four technical thematic working groups (TTWGs) established by MoHSPP for the development of the NHS-2030 document. This included a review of the current evidence, based on the analysis and findings of the NHS-2020 technical report as well as other existing documents and sources of data; intensive discussions about the current status and the vision for the future achievements, involvement of important stakeholders, and development of the document’s various chapters.

 

In 2018 the MoHSPP conducted a comprehensive review of the progress and achievements of the NHS-2020 and a technical report has been produced with the support of the WHO – EU-LUX UHC Partnership. The document was shared during the round table session on May 8, 2019. The first Roundtable re-emphasized the importance of social protection and wellbeing of the population and decided to include a relevant specialist in each TTWG to move forward that agenda.

 

2nd Roundtable was conducted in 29 August 2019 following a visit of WHO consultants who helped to review the work of TTWGs and discussed the next steps and agreed on a three-phase NHS.

 

3rd Roundtable was held on 11 October 2019, during which various draft chapters on the main sections of the strategy document and necessary improvements were discussed. In addition, the group of consultants worked remotely, helping the MoHSPP to draw up the first almost complete working version of the document.

The 4th Roundtable was held on 5 November 2019 and brought together about 70 participants from the MoHSPP, regional health authorities, relevant ministries and government agencies, according to the list of members of the Intersectoral Coordinating Committee, as well as development partners.  

 

The consultants involved, together with the TTWGs finalized and submitted to the Ministry of Health and Social Protection of Population the first draft of the NHS 2030 document for consideration of all involved partners. The objective of this round table was to review the current draft of the main NHS-2030 document chapters, discuss their content with MoHSPP, regional and province level authorities, other ministries and development partners. This was followed by intensive joint work involving the technical working groups and the international consultants, with the aim to submit the next draft of the document to the MoHSPP leadership for their further review.

 

The draft NHS-2030 to be presented at the national workshop at MoHSPP Joint Annual Review – JAR, which has been agreed upon to take place on 5 December 2019. Based on the suggestions made during the JAR, the final draft NHS-2030 document with the key indicators’ matrix will be finalised.

 

The EU has committed to further support the MoHSPP in the development and costing of the first 3-year action plan for the NHS-2030.

 

For further details, please contact: Ochilov Abdurashid, email: ochilovrashid@mail.ru or at telephone number +992 92 777 11 65.