Global Presence
Philippines Integrated Family Planning and Maternal Health Program (IFPMHP)
Project Date: 1995–2002
MSH has supported Philippine efforts to bring about major reform in health care delivery since the start of devolution through several different projects. Since 1995, MSH has been providing management and technical assistance services to USAID's major bilateral health assistance program in the Philippines, the Integrated Family Planning and Maternal Health Program (IFPMHP). Under this program, MSH provides technical input in the areas of population, family planning, maternal health, and selected child survival programs at both the national and local levels. At the national level, MSH is assisting the Department of Health with programs that are responsive to the needs of the devolved environment. At the local level, MSH is working to strengthen the capabilities of individual Local Government Units (LGU) to plan, monitor, and implement sustainable family planning and maternal and child health services.
Local assistance is channeled primarily through the LGU Performance Program (LPP). Under this program, MSH is working in partnership with the national Office of Public Health Services and with regional Health and Population Offices to provide comprehensive assistance to participating LGU provinces and cities. LGUs receive annual performance-based grants to plan and implement comprehensive population, family planning, and child survival programs. MSH is working with the Department of Health and LGUs to further expand and refine the grant mechanism to include additional performance incentives and to add a matching grant component.
In addition to financial assistance, the LPP delivers a comprehensive package of technical assistance to LGUs in planning, training, information, education, and communications (IEC), monitoring and evaluation, and program management. The MSH Program Management Technical Assistance Team (PMTAT) has put in place the systems and procedures needed to run this national program, and is now focused on institutionalizing the program components and strengthening the local capabilities of the regional offices to assist the LGUs. By 1998, 85 LGUs were participating in the program. They represent more than 55 million people, which is over 80% of the nation's population.
At the national level, MSH efforts are focused on several technical areas, including family planning training, management information systems, financial sustainability, urban health, and quality assurance. Supported by subcontractors Development Associates, Inc. and the Economic Development Foundation, the project is helping the Department of Health redirect training for service providers towards a more competency-based training scheme. Since the project began in 1995, for example, MSH has helped the Philippine Family Planning Service to train over 5,000 service providers in the LGUs and supported the revision of an updated Philippine Family Planning Clinical Standards Manual and its distribution to all health units in the country.
Local assistance is channeled primarily through the LGU Performance Program (LPP). Under this program, MSH is working in partnership with the national Office of Public Health Services and with regional Health and Population Offices to provide comprehensive assistance to participating LGU provinces and cities. LGUs receive annual performance-based grants to plan and implement comprehensive population, family planning, and child survival programs. MSH is working with the Department of Health and LGUs to further expand and refine the grant mechanism to include additional performance incentives and to add a matching grant component.
In addition to financial assistance, the LPP delivers a comprehensive package of technical assistance to LGUs in planning, training, information, education, and communications (IEC), monitoring and evaluation, and program management. The MSH Program Management Technical Assistance Team (PMTAT) has put in place the systems and procedures needed to run this national program, and is now focused on institutionalizing the program components and strengthening the local capabilities of the regional offices to assist the LGUs. By 1998, 85 LGUs were participating in the program. They represent more than 55 million people, which is over 80% of the nation's population.
At the national level, MSH efforts are focused on several technical areas, including family planning training, management information systems, financial sustainability, urban health, and quality assurance. Supported by subcontractors Development Associates, Inc. and the Economic Development Foundation, the project is helping the Department of Health redirect training for service providers towards a more competency-based training scheme. Since the project began in 1995, for example, MSH has helped the Philippine Family Planning Service to train over 5,000 service providers in the LGUs and supported the revision of an updated Philippine Family Planning Clinical Standards Manual and its distribution to all health units in the country.