By Agnes M. Tarr
The Ministry of Health & Social Welfare {MOHSW} is working tooth to nail to review programs and activities geared toward reducing the risk and effect of maternal and newborn mortality by increasing essential services being provided.
The review is in the form of the launch of a three days conference in honor of its 5th Annual National Review and is being held under the theme “Reducing Maternal and Newborn Mortality through Increased to Essential Services”.
The program which is expected to climax today is ongoing at the Samuel K. Doe Sports Complex and it seeks to look at the possibility of reengineering some programmatic activities for the sector of the current fiscal year. It also and aimed at the reduction of child mortality, improve maternal health, and to combat HIV/AIDS, malaria and other diseases in the country.
In his remark, Matthew T. Flomo, MDA/MOHSW said the Ministry was working in collaboration with its many developmental partners to take retrospective view of programmatic and administrative activities undertaken by the operational year 2011-2012.
He explained that the reduction of child mortality in the country was a target set at reducing under five mortality by two third, between 1990 to 2015, while combating HIV\AIDS, malaria and other diseases sets at bringing to halt the spread of the diseases by 2015 and at the same time beginning to reverse the spread to HIV\AIDS in the country.
He further said that programmatic activities planned to be executed by the ministry may be impacted by the level of discretion in budget execution which is affecting outputs or outcomes of the ministry.
According to him, the conference is being held at the time the ministry noticed some forms of discretion as it relates to resource allocation for the health sector for FY 12\13.
He said, “We believe this topic is best suited for discussion as it describes the relationship that should exist among stakeholders in addressing various issues related to the health sector”.
Minister Flomo noted that the Ministry of Health and Social Welfare is a premiere ministry in the decentralization drive and that the effort towards the process is not one being achieved on a standalone basis.
