As the world moves into the post-2015 era and toward the 2030 goal for health, which includes universal health coverage and making sure everyone has access to essential, quality care, results matter more than ever. To show results and translate them into action, however, countries need better quality data, better capacity for health information and civil registration systems, and better incentives to use data for decision-making.
How do we get there? More than 500 global health experts gathered this week at the Measurement and Accountability for Results in Health Summit – co-hosted by the World Bank Group, USAID and the World Health Organization (WHO) – to discuss what works and what doesn’t to improve measurement and accountability systems.
Participants endorsed The Roadmap for Health Measurement and Accountability and a Five-Point Call to Action, which outline a shared strategic approach and priority actions and targets that countries and development partners can use to put effective health monitoring plans in place to strengthen health information systems.
The discussion on results is timely. Earlier today, the World Bank Group and WHO released a new report, Tracking Universal Health Coverage, the first of its kind to measure health service coverage and financial protection to assess countries’ progress towards universal health coverage.
And next month, the World Bank Group, together with the United Nations, Canada, Norway, the United States, and other partners, will launch the Global Financing Facility for Every Woman Every Child, which includes a strong focus on measurement and on linking financing to proven results. The facility, which the G7 recently endorsed, will promote smart, scaled and sustainable financing, and aims to be a pathfinder for the post-2015 development agenda.
You can follow this week’s health measurement and accountability discussion on Twitter via #MA4Health and #UHC. Here are a few Tweets that capture the spirit.
Follow the World Bank health team on Twitter: @WBG_Health
Related
MA4Health Press Release
MA4Health Summit Day 1 Webcast
Road Map for Health Measurement and Accountability
Health Measurement and Accountability Post- 2015: Five Point Call to Action
Tracking Universal Health Coverage Report: Press Release
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