Afghanistan Afghan Public Health Institute Strategic Plan - ianphi

MINISTRY OF PUBLIC HEALTH (MoPH) STRATEGIC PLAN 2011‐2015INTRODUCTIONThe Ministry of Public Health (MOPH) is one of the leading Ministries in the Government of theIslamic Republic of Afghanistan (GoIRA). Yet, in spite of major achievements in the health sector inrecent years, Afghanistan still lags behind countries in the region with respect to key healthoutcomes; particularly in the areas of maternal, infant and child health.Building on recent achievements, including the Health and Nutrition Sector Strategy (HNSS) 2008‐2013, and based on the identified need for an overall organizing framework for the MOPH and toidentify strategic priorities, the Ministry has developed a Strategic Plan for 2011‐2015. It will assist inmovement toward an anticipated Sector Wide Approach (SWAp) for the health and nutrition sector.A strategic plan is “a navigational tool; with it the organization pilots a course from where it is towhere it wants to be. The plan helps the organization progress toward its destination. It provides apoint of reference that must be used, assessed and updated as the environment changes.” (Kent &Wilkinson, Applied Strategic Planning, p. 1) A strategic plan is also a management tool for makingpublic sector organizations more efficient and effective.A number of the causes of death, illness and disability in Afghanistan are preventable. Internationaldata show that preventing ill health and promoting positive health saves the health care system a lotof money. This also reduces unnecessary suffering and enables people to be more productive and tolive longer, happier and more fulfilling lives. For this reason, MoPH’s Strategic Plan, 2011‐2015, isunderpinned by a Population Health Promotion Approach. In addition to elaborating on this, thedocument identifies the core elements of the Strategic Plan ‐ the mission, vision and core values ‐ aswell as Strategic Directions, that are areas of focus that enable movement toward the vision for2015. Strategic Objectives and Priority Interventions are identified for each Strategic Direction forthe next five years. For those new to Afghanistan, a brief section on Background and Context isprovided.“Desired Results for 2015” presents an updated table from the HNSS that includes the ANDS targets.There is also a short section on monitoring the implementation of the Strategic Plan.The creation of this document has been a truly collaborative process engaging a broad range ofstakeholders. It is hoped that the momentum and ownership built through the creation process willsupport and “fuel” its dynamic implementation.Ministry of Public Health Strategic Plan, 2011‐201514