Message-ID: <s392ae27.048@MSH.ORG> Date: Mon, 2 Jun 1997 11:27:04 -0400 From: Donna Monahan <mailto:Dmonahan@MSH.ORG> Subject: DECENTR: New MSH Electronic Discussion Group To: mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU
This message has been cross-posted.FORUM ON HEALTH SECTOR DECENTRALIZATION (DECENTR)
Management Sciences for Health is pleased to announce an electronic forum on health sector decentralization, beginning June 16, 1997.
Decentralization is advocated as a significant way to improve access, quality and efficiency of public sector health and family planning services. The World Bank, for instance, stated in the 1993 World Development Report that "Decentralization of government health services is potentially the most important force for improving efficiency and responding to local health conditions and demands."
Many countries and large non-governmental organizations have already transferred power from the central to the peripheral levels or are planning to do so soon, and real life experiences with decentralization are beginning to accumulate. While some of these experiences are encouraging, others are raising serious concerns about the impact of decentralization on the performance of the health sector, and ultimately on the health of the people it serves. Very few opportunities exist for exchanging information about the goals, implementation mechanisms, and impact of decentralization between countries.
MSH's Decentralization Forum (DECENTR) is set up to provide an avenue for exchanging experiences, opinions and research findings of health sector decentralization. Its aim is to deepen the understanding of decentralization as a mechanism for improving the performance of the health sector. This will be done by encouraging discussion and debate, and through sharing of information on real life experiences with decentralization.
Suggested topics for discussion include:
* Decentralization's impact on health services at local and national levels * Specific causes for such impact * Difficulties encountered in implementing health sector decentralization * Requirements for successful decentralization * Definition of "decentralization"
By sharing real life successes and challenges, we hope to help individuals, countries, and organizations design more appropriate decentralized health systems, implement the transfer of power smoothly, and gain more health sector benefits from the transfer of power.
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