Policy - Requiring Coordination of Services and Programs
8.1.7 Policy - Requiring Coordination of Services and Programs
The health respondents were asked questions about their policy role relative to the coordination of health services.
Two-thirds (66.7%) of health ministries
(MOH-11c) said that they have a policy framework stipulating that an integrated approach should be used to guide the coordination of services and program related to the prevention of HIV and promotion of sexual health.That proportion
(PHU-9c) declined appreciably at the public health unit level, with 33.9% saying that an integrated approach was outlined in a policy and an additional 18.4% reporting that this was true in part.In response to related questions on the promotion of this policy, questions were asked about actions that had been taken.
Figure 21
Health ministries were asked if they had published guidelines encouraging public health units and professionals to use a comprehensive approach. Generally speaking, a minority of health respondents reported that they actively promoted policy coordination.
Less than one-half of the health ministry respondents reported that
they have published guidelines promoting an integrated, coordinated approach to HIV
prevention.
Figure 22
| Published Guidelines on Comprehensive Approaches | Yes |
No |
In Part |
No Response |
| MOH - 12a | 41.7 |
41.7 |
8.3 |
8.3 |
A minority of health ministry respondents reported that they have policy promoting a coordinated approach. However, a sizable number, almost half (41.7%) said that this was not the role of the ministry. This may indicate that neither the health ministry, nor the public health units see the public health unit as being an arm of government policy or the health ministry per se.
Figure 23
| Policy Promoting Coordination | Planned |
Regularly |
Once in last 3 yrs. |
Once in last 4-10 yrs. |
Never |
Not role |
Don’t Know |
| Required Health Units to Have Interagency Plan (MOH-15a) | 0 |
25 |
0 |
16.7 |
8.3 |
41.7 |
8.3 |
| Have negotiated an
Interministry Protocol (MOH - 27c) |
8.3 |
8.3 |
8.3 |
0 |
50 |
8.3 |
16.7 |
A majority of health ministry respondents reported that they do monitor the number and nature of public health unit policies.
Figure 24
| Monitored number and nature of PHU policies | Yes |
No |
In Part |
| MOH - 12b | 58.3 |
25.0 |
16.7 |
Health Units were asked similar questions. We inquired if they required a coordination plan from funded agencies or if they promoted the implementation or use of coordination models. The public health unit responses to these questions about policy coordination were more positive than those from health ministry respondents.
Figure 25
| Have Policy Promoting Coordination | Planned |
Regularly |
Once in last 3 yrs. |
Once in last 4-10 yrs. |
Never |
Not role |
Don’t Know |
| Require a Coordination plan from funded agencies | 3.4 |
20.0 |
6.7 |
5.0 |
33.3 |
25.0 |
3.4 |
| Promoted coordinated models | 5.0 |
55.0 |
15.0 |
5.0 |
11.7 |
5.0 |
3.3 |