Mr. Wilson Nyamanga, Acting Regional Administration Secretary (Ag.RAS) Lindi, officiating the stakeholder’s consultation forum.
Tanzania like many other African countries is undergoing health sector reform which focuses on decentralization of health systems. The focal point is the district. Consequently the Council Health Management Team is charged with the responsibilities of planning, implementing, Monitoring and evaluating health services delivery. In order to fulfill this task successfully, the teams are required to work together and involve different stakeholders in all stages (planning, budgeting and implementing) of their work. These stakeholders include Civil Society Organization (CSO) representatives. The aim of involving these different stakeholders is to ensure that different priorities from the community are brought into the planning and finally in the budget.
GIZ through Tanzanian German Programme to Support Health (TGPSH) partners with DSW to enhance CSOs involvement in the local health governance and their contribution towards Council Comprehensive Health Plan (CCHP) in the Lindi and Mtwara Regions. This Decentralized Health Governance intervention aims to enhance CSO advocacy capacity to engage in council health planning, budgeting and monitoring and link CSOs with council health planning and budgeting process. It also contributes to CSO management capacities and close collaboration with councils.
DSW offers technical support in this initiative and recently conducted a stakeholder’s consultation forum with regional and district officials from the regions. This strategic meeting shared ideas, innovations and insights on regional investments on health and development in health with a special focus on youth. Moreover the meeting was a method for collecting information about CSOs participation in Health Planning and Budgeting and interventions on youth development and health in District Councils. The meeting brought together 30 officials from Regional Secretariat and District health, planning and community development departments. Envisaged results of the intervention are increased CSOs awareness of the function of the local government and entry points for CSOs for participation, CSO’s linked with and participate in the LGAs planning and budgeting processes and CSOs are linked with existing CSOs networks. Coordination of CSOs and strengthening of their capacities in engaging meaningfully with Councils is geared towards increased allocation of resources for Youth and Sexual Reproductive Health in the CCHPs.
DSW Tanzania Country Director,Peter Owaga facilitating the meeting.
Dr Sonda Shabaan,Regional Medical Officer(RMO)-Lindi presenting on CCHP.
