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Harmonizing Resource Tracking for Improved Planning. Nirmala Ravishankar November 18, 2010. Outline. Introduction to Resource Tracking Harmonizing Resource Tracking to Improve Planning and Financial Accountability. Introduction to Resource Tracking. What is resource tracking for health?*.
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Harmonizing Resource Tracking for Improved Planning Nirmala Ravishankar November 18, 2010
Outline • Introduction to Resource Tracking • Harmonizing Resource Tracking to Improve Planning and Financial Accountability
What is resource tracking for health?* • Health resource tracking tools measure and analyze the flow of financial resources for improving health • They track how much is flowing, from whom, through whom, to whom, and for what purpose *Sources: Powell-Jackson & Mills, A Review of Health Resource Tracking (2007); Berman, National health accounts in developing countries (1997), Schieber and Poullier, International health care spending (1986); Levine and Blumer, Gaps and Links: What do we know about resource flows in global health (2004); Ravishankar et al., Financing Global Health (2009).
Two levels of resource tracking • International development assistance for health • Resources for the health sector within a country
International resource tracking tools • Track international resources for improving health in developing countries • Typically focus on commitments, disbursements, and in-kind services (medical commodities, TA) • Focus on total envelope for health, specific diseases or priority areas, or population groups • Data Platforms • OECD-DAC’s databases • IHME’s Development Assistance for Health database • PLAID database
National resource tracking tools • Track the flow of funds within a single country • Many RT tools at the country-level have been standardized internationally • National Health Accounts (NHA) • NHA subaccounts (HIV/AIDS, RH,etc.) • National AIDS Spending Accounts (NASA) • Public Expenditure Review • Development Assistance Database (DAD) • Public Expenditure Tracking Surveys (PETS) • Countries have developed additional tools reflecting their needs • E.g., Joint Annual Work Plan (Rwanda)
National resource tracking tools Some are focused on the health sector while others are not • Track the flow of funds within a single country • Many RT tools at the country-level have been standardized internationally • National Health Accounts (NHA) • NHA subaccounts (HIV/AIDS, RH,etc.) • National AIDS Spending Accounts (NASA) • Public Expenditure Review • Development Assistance Database (DAD) • Public Expenditure Tracking Surveys (PETS) • Countries have developed additional tools reflecting their needs • E.g., Joint Annual Work Plan (Rwanda) Some are disease-specific Some assess past expenditures while others focus on budgets
Why is resource tracking important? • Information on planned and realized expenditures by all partners is a key ingredient for country-owned planning • Comprehensive data on commitments, obligations, disbursements, and expenditures by country governments and donors is essential for mutual accountability, a key principle enshrined in the Paris Declaration
Why do we need to harmonizing RT activities? • Two dimensions of disconnect • Internal: between different RT systems • External: between RT systems as a whole and the policy planning, budgeting and policy review process • Why this is a problem? • Duplication of effort • High reporting burden • Low use of RT data • Full potential of existing data not achieved
Internal harmonization of RT activities Linking RT systems will reduce the burden of data reporting and improve utility of RT information • Combining data collection efforts for different RT exercises saves time and money • Linking retrospective financial tracking exercises such as NHA with prospective planning tools such as JAWP will allows stakeholders to both plan in a coordinated way and hold each other accountable • OECD-DAC tracks commitments and disbursements to the implementing partner in a country. NHA and PETS track what happens to the money once it enters the country and how it is spent. Combining these two will lead to will provide a complete picture of the flow of funds.
External harmonization of RT with Planning, Budgeting and Accounting Cycle • Timing and timeliness Review of performance in past FY and priority setting for new FY July 2009 June 2010 Government Fiscal Year Budgeting for new FY
External harmonization of RT with the Planning, Budgeting and Accounting Cycle • Timing and timeliness • Content • Program categories • Level of disaggregation
Key Points • There is a proliferation of resource tracking frameworks, tools and activities • In the absence of common data collection platforms, time and money are wasted in the parallel execution of RT activities • Lack of linkage between them reduces their utility to analysts, researchers and policy makers, • Coordination with the national planning, budgeting and review cycle will ensure maximum policy use of RT data for • Country-owned and evidence-based planning • Holding development partners accountable
Thank you Reports related to this presentation available at www.healthsystems2020.org