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M2 Presswire | 19 June
2008
The World Bank Group today approved a
US$30 million credit to support the
implementation of
Cambodia's
new Health Strategic Plan 2008 - 2015.
The plan aims to improve health care and
preventive health services for Cambodian
people, with particular emphasis on
women, children and the poor.
The credit will be used to finance
the Second Health Sector Support Program
(HSSP2) which, over the next five years,
will receive a total of US$120 million
from six development partners. On the
World Bank side, the credit will be
provided by the International
Development Association (IDA), the arm
of the World Bank that supports the
world's poorest countries.
The rest of the support will come from
the UK's overseas
development agency,
DFID,
the Australian Agency for International
Development (AusAID), UNICEF,
United
Nation Population Fund (UNFPA) and
French Development Cooperation (AFD).
Other development partners are expected
to join the program during its
implementation.
The HSSP2 will use Royal Government of
Cambodia (RGC) health planning and
results monitoring mechanisms and
provide for joint management
arrangements and
pooled
resources. The program is designed to
help
Cambodia
improve health outcomes by strengthening
institutional capacity and mechanisms by
which the Government and development
partners can achieve more effective and
efficient health sector performance.
HSSP2 is expected to significantly
increase resources available to improve
health of mothers and children as well
as to tackle new health problems such as
injuries and chronic disease. It will
improve the quality of training of
health professionals, including
midwives; strengthen health service
delivery in health centers and referral
hospitals; and, support the Government
in its role as the steward of the health
system. More poor people will benefit
from the program as it
intends to scale up support to Health
Equity Funds to help the poor access
essential health care. The program is
also expected to facilitate the role of
civil society and non-governmental
organization in local health planning
and oversight on service delivery.
"There have been notable improvements in
the health of Cambodian people over the
past decade," said H.E. Professor Eng
Huot, Secretary of State, Ministry of
Health. "Life expectancy has increased
from 52 to 58 years for men and 56 to 64
years for women; infant and child
mortality are on the decline and the
HIV/AIDS epidemic has been arrested. But
several challenges are still facing us.
These include high maternal mortality,
slow progress in malnutrition, rising
cost for health care; poor quality of
health care, and the rise of injuries
and non-communicable diseases. We hope
that, with this significant support
through HSSP2 from the World Bank and
our other development partners, we will
be able to achieve and sustain progress
towards the Millennium Development Goals
and improve equity in health. HSSP2 also
takes a significant step forward in
improving harmonization and alignment of
aid in the health sector in line with
our commitments under the Paris
Declaration and International Health
Partnership. "
The World Bank's Country Director
for Cambodia, Ian
Porter said: "The World Bank has been
engaged in the health sector since 1996
through our two projects - Disease
Control and Health Development Project,
and the Health Sector Support Project.
We have built strong relationships with
the Government and other development
partners in the health sector. We are
glad to see HSSP2 off the ground in line
with our Country Assistance Strategy for Cambodia that
was developed in cooperation
with DFID, the Asian Development Bank,
and the UN system."
Claire Moran Country Manager for
the UK Department for International
Development said: "I am delighted that
the World Bank with the other funding
donors has developed this new program.
As well as accelerating progress towards
the health MDGs, this new partnership
represents an important step forward in
aid effectiveness in the health sector.
In line with the commitments development
partners and the RGC made in signing the
International Health Partnership in
September 2007, the new program includes
plans to pool resources and work in a
more coordinated way to streamline how
development partners support the
Ministry of Health."
"AusAID
is currently expanding its development
assistance to
Cambodia," said the
head of AusAID's Cambodia Program,
Counsellor Lachlan Pontifex, "We believe
that the HSSP2 Partnership will make an
important contribution to improving
health within
Cambodia
and in particular to achieving the
Cambodia Millennium Development Goals
for health. We hope that HSSP2 will also
provide an opportunity for all donors
and the Cambodian Government to work
more effectively together to strengthen
the health system and improve access".
Alice Levisay, UNFPA Cambodia
Representative said: "We are pleased to
be part of this ambitious multi-donor
program in support of the Ministry of
Health's new Health Strategic Plan
2008-2015. The HSSP2 represents a new
way of working for both donors and for
the ministry, and will accelerate
progress toward Cambodia's Health MDG
targets, particularly for under-funded
priority areas such as reproductive,
maternal, neonatal, child health and
non-communicable diseases."
IDA is the part of the World Bank that
helps the world's poorest countries. It
aims to reduce poverty by providing
interest-free credits and grants for
programs that boost economic growth,
reduce inequalities and improve people's
living conditions.
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