• Communication mechanisms with and between donors

Communication mechanisms with and between donors

Sector wide approaches (SWAps) have helped countries like Bangladesh to shape government health policy, strengthen its implementation and make health financing more predictable and flexible. However, after initial success the Bangladesh SWAp is loosing momentum. This HLSP paper attempts to explain what has limited the ability of the Bangladesh SWAp to deal with new realities and to focus on the health needs of the poor. Annual reviews of the SWAp in 2006 and 2007 find that Bangladesh has a poorly managed health sector, where absorptive capacity of external and domestic resources is seriously compromised. The country’s inability to deliver more and better services is not the result of the SWAp model, but its application.

Through the case of Bangladesh, the paper emphasises the importance of keeping a constant watch on key SWAp principles, such as: government leadership, a realistic government health plan, commitment to adopt common view, reporting and monitoring systems, and continued efforts to provide external financing in ways that increase absorptive capacity. It recommends that when fatigue sets in and problems emerge, SWAp partners need to look critically at themselves and ensure that their focus remains on the core SWAp principles and values. [adapted from author]

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