For Immediate Release: January 31, 2006

Manual of Financial and Accounting Management Officially Launched

January 31, 2006. Port-au-Prince, Haiti: The Ministry of Public Health and Population (MSPP) in Haiti, with the support of USAID and the HS-2007 Project, officially launched its Manual of Financial and Accounting Management at Karibe Convention Center.

The launching ceremony started with the welcoming words of MSPP Director General Dr. Michael Leandre, who explained the context of the manual's development. The manual was conceived as a recommendation made by the Ministry to guide and evaluate the agency's financial performance and also to help the users have a better understanding of the accounting procedures.

The manual describes guidelines for improving budgetary and financial management, which will enable the Ministry to set up procedures that guarantee a more reliable and transparent system, and a better overview of financial operations.

HS-2007 has provided financial and technical assistance to the MSPP in the development of the manual with the purpose of improving health care services, in part through the reinforcement of management support systems for functions including financial and accounting management.

Deputy Chief of Party Dr. Florence Guillaume has developed the project's strategy in the context of its support to organizational development. In her speech, she expressed her wish to see the partnership between the public and private sectors strengthened in order to stimulate the availability of financial means and a more powerful commitment within the health sector.

"While the HS-2007 Project is proud to have contributed to the development of this manual within the framework of bilateral cooperation in the health sector, the project will continue to maintain the development strategy created under the auspices of the Ministry of Health and shaped by the experiences of the health departments. The HS-2007 strategy aims to serve as a foundation upon which the government of Haiti can base further development projects," Dr. Guillaume added.

During the past six months, experts from the firm Thomas Bois & Associés have worked jointly with the management and financial staff of the MSPP and with the HS-2007 financial unit to finalize the guidelines and the application of the Ministry's accounting software in order to complete the manual. Emmanuel Bois represented Thomas Bois & Associés at the launch.

USAID has determined that, today more than ever, it is important to follow and reinforce the principles of good governance and transparency in the management of public affairs. USAID works with, among others, health care workers in the public and private sectors in order to improve the delivery of health care services to the Haitian population. Areas of focus include child survival, reproductive health, and infectious disease.

"The assistance provided for carrying out this work is compatible with USAID's new orientation toward friendly states that are stable but have fragile economies: the stimulation of efficiency through rational, optimal management and use of available resources, in the quest for good governance and the progressive, sustained reduction of the deleterious impact that the phenomenon of corruption represents," emphasized Erna Kerst, the Director of USAID in Haiti.

HS-2007, with the support of USAID, provides technical and financial assistance to partners, as well as to the Department Directors of the MSPP, while working within the National Health Policy and the Priority Service Package defined by the Ministry.

Dr. Josette Bijou, Minister of Health, made clear that the manual should serve as a framework for the implementation of reliable and equitable financial and accountant management; a framework that puts the emphasis on the various management processes linked to the execution of the budget, processing, and accounting of the operations.

While officially launching the manual, Dr. Bijou also highlighted the accordance of the expenditures' distribution and the management's effectiveness to the strategic priorities of her ministry. This will undoubtedly contribute to creating an environment in favor of a wide distribution and usage of this and similar resources. Dr. Bijou is widely lauded for her dedication to and support of cooperation between public and private sectors regarding public health.

At the end of the ceremony, Dr. Bijou awarded three exemplary employees of the Ministry's Administrative and Financial Direction, and then handed copies of the manual to the Central and Regional Directors of the Ministry, as well as to financial institutions and accountants in the public and private sectors.