The public financial management (PFM) system is often viewed as a bottleneck to increasing autonomy. However, it can also be an important enabler, supporting greater operational efficiency and accountability. CABRI hosted a Policy Dialogue on a trending topic - ‘PFM as a greater enabler of health facility autonomy’ - in member country, Mauritius, from 27-29 August, 2024, at Long Beach Mauritius. The Policy Dialogue brought together an unusual mix whereby ministries of finance, ministries of health and local government representatives, reflected on how each can contribute to facility financial autonomy and improved health outcomes.
Featuring a rich lineup of speakers and discussants both in-person and virtually from Mauritius, Burkina Faso, Côte d’Ivoire, Lesotho, South Africa, Nigeria, Malawi, Uganda, the United States of America, the World Health Organisation, the World Bank, the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, ODI, Queen Margaret University, R4D, ThinkWell and Abt Global, the 3-day Policy Dialogue addressed key aspects of PFM and health facility autonomy where pertinent questions were asked and significant reflections made namely on:
- Why do we need more facility autonomy and how can this be achieved?
- How can budget formulation and execution processes for facilities be strengthened?
- The status of facility autonomy and direct financing in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC)
- Country experiences of increasing facility autonomy
- Balancing flexibility and accountability: expenditure controls and digital support systems
- Data governance and digital PFM for improved reporting and oversight
- Intersection of health facility financing and PFM
- Formulating facility budgets and paying for outputs
- Perspectives on facility financial management
African countries are at very different points in increasing facility autonomy, and have approached this reform in myriad ways and face unique challenges. During the course of the Policy Dialogue, country-teams worked together to populate poster templates. These will form the basis for peer-sharing and will be incorporated into a post-event report.
Read the news report from the Mauritian Government Information Services