ADDIS ABABA, Ethiopia — Although the Ethiopian government has increasingly been investing in health care over the past decade, providing quality care for its 98 million residents remains a challenge.
In order to improve transparency and responsiveness to citizens, the World Bank has launched a new program that allows Ethiopian residents to interact more directly with the health care system.
The so-called Social Accountability, or SA, program is a key component of the Promoting Basic Services, or PBS, Project for Ethiopia, a multi-phase initiative aimed at improving the quality of life for millions of Ethiopians.
According to the World Bank, the PBS program provides grants to 49 local non-governmental organizations that serve as social accountability implementing partners, called SAIP, with local organizations that specifically encourage vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, disabled and people with disabilities, to be involved in the process.
The SA program operates by first educating Ethiopian citizens about health service standards, plans, targets and budgets. Once informed about these issues, citizens use report cards to rate the services they have received. Citizens then discuss their concerns with service providers, identify and agree on solutions and coordinate with a Joint Action Committee to implement solutions. The entire process is overseen and regulated by an independent SA Committee.
Since the program’s implementation, many cite marked improvements in service delivery at both the district and local levels.
Firehiwot Mamo, a resident in one of the districts where the SA program was implemented, told the World Bank that before the SA program, the health center was not “accessible to people with disabilities” and had “long queues, poor sanitation facilities, a shortage of medical supplies, and lack of accountability among healthcare providers.”
With the implementation of the new SA program, which reportedly involves more than 8,800 citizens and 20 citizen groups, many health centers are now better equipped with drugs and equipment, have better sanitation practices and are more responsive to patient needs.
“The SA program has allowed us to openly identify and discuss challenges and find solutions to them. This has led to improvements in the cleanliness of our toilet, availability of drugs, delivery room management and so on. I can now honestly say that we are fulfilling our main duty which is satisfying our customers,” Mesfin Beyene, head of a district health center, told the World Bank.
In addition to improving the overall quality of life for millions of Ethiopians, the PBS program is addressing other key health sector challenges outlined in the Millennium Development Goals, including reducing Ethiopia’s infant and maternal mortality rates.
– Katrina Beedy
Sources: World Bank 1, World Bank 2, World Meters
Photo: Waha International