MEC Monitoring of the Health Sector in Afghanistan - 3rd follow-up report, Apr 2017

In the current reporting period the evidence shows that the momentum has been maintained, with progress and actions initiated in new areas, five of which are considered credible and substantial: 1. Significant progress was again noted at the National Medical and Health product Regulatory Authority (NMHRA), which has replaced and superseded the General Directorate of Pharmacy. NMHRA has continued to pursue a multi-pronged approach to significantly reduce corruption, including an array of legal reforms, policy and technical changes, interventions on manufacturing and importation of drugs and medical products, aggressively expanding inspections, and systematically tackling internal complaints and customer service complaints. 2. The MOPH has proposed new Terms of Reference for Health Shuras that will strengthen MOPH’s accountability to the community and BPHS and EPHS implementers on a facility by facility basis. MOPH has sought World Bank support for the expanded functioning of Health Shuras across 112 Districts. 3. A third significant development has been in the advancement of formal accreditation systems for the health sector, supporting Recommendation 3, “Establish an independent accrediting entity to rebuild reliability, thoroughness, and integrity within the health sector.” 4. A fourth significant area of momentum was noted around complaint handling processes, regarding Recommendations 13 and 19, with extensive efforts shown toward encouraging greater public confidence in the integrity, responsiveness, and accountability of MOPH. 5. The fifth significant achievement was noted in the translation of all MOPH policies into local language(s), and their routine distribution throughout MOPH and BPHS and EPHS implementers, as described in MEC Recommendation 5.2.