Title

Enhancing Health and Nutrition Services for the Urban Poor People of Selected Municipality of  Bangladesh (EHNSM)

The Intervention pilots a health financing model which gives the urban poor free access to an essential package of health services in private sector clinics by using voucher health cards. Health vouchers are one of the social health protection schemes proposed in the Health Care Financing strategy to support the GoB in increasing capacity and expanding the coverage of health services for the urban poor leaving nobody behind. Vouchers are known to be a good tool to be used in the private sector to bridge the gaps in the provision health services and to prepare countries to establish national health insurance systems.

Duration

From 01/02/18 to 31/03/21 (38 months)

Budget (Euro)

Total costs: EUR  2,688,236, EU contribution EUR 2,016,177

Locations

Chapai Nawabganj, Kaliakair, Narshingdi, Naogaon, Tangail ,Tarabo Municipalities

Implementing Organization (s)

Resource Integration Centre (RIC)

Objectives

Outcome (Specific Objectives) and Outputs (Expected results)

Specific Objectives:

• By underwriting the cost of service delivery through health cards, RIC aims to ensure free quality services closer to the community and ensure that the poor households can access primary health care and nutrition services free of charge.
• In partnership with professional bodies, RIC aims to orient, train and mentor the 90+ clinical staff of the private facilities to ensure availability and quality of comprehensive primary health care and nutrition services in targeted areas.
• Through program staff leveraged from RIC’s existing programs, RIC aims to promote adoption of key preventive behaviours by the target households.
• By strengthening the local government institutions, RIC will establish an oversight and accountability mechanism between the elected representatives and private enterprises, so that the local government mechanisms can support the clinics in continuing to provide essential services beyond the life of the project. Through stakeholder consultations, a sustainability model will be developed in partnership with different stakeholders for these urban communities

Expected Results:

Result #1 Increased utilization of Private Clinics by poor population with health cards

Result #2 Improved quality of the service at the clinics

Result #3 Increased practice of preventive health behaviours and timely care-seeking

Result #4 Increased accountability and local ownership of municipality officials, elected representatives/counsellors.

Result #5 Increased Community Capacity to respond to problems

Target group(s)

Municipalities, NGOs/Private hospitals and health facilities, MoHFW officials, households

Final beneficiaries

61,326 poor households