Integrating Microfinance and Health - Global Microcredit Summit 2011

More documents

Recommendations

Info

Appendix BThree Case Descriptions: BRAC, Pro Mujer and Freedom from HungerBRAC Health ProgramHealth interventions have been part of BRAC’s work since its inception in 1972. By improvingthe health of the people, especially the poor, and promoting the capacity of a community to dealwith health problems, the health program contributes to achieving BRAC’s twin objectives ofpoverty alleviation and empowerment of the poor. Over the years, BRAC’s health programs haveevolved in step with the national and global health priorities and changing knowledge base.BRAC has shaped and reshaped health interventions from a small to larger scale nationalinterventions keeping pace with national and global priorities. Throughout the eighties, BRAC’shard toil to fight back diarrheal deaths through oral rehydration has created an outstandingexemplar in the world. The over decades of experiential learning have made BRAC to scale uphealth interventions across the country. In nineties, women and child health were dealt withvarious project-based interventions, such as, Women’s Health and Development, ReproductiveHealth and Disease Control, National Nutrition and Family Planning Facilitation Programmes.Currently the health program combines preventive, curative, rehabilitative and promotionalhealth services with focus on improving maternal, neonatal and child health, as well ascombating communicable diseases and common health problems. BRAC has also piloted andcontinues to develop a health micro-insurance program to help clients afford the cost ofhealthcare services. Health services are organized under the umbrella of BRAC’s HealthProgram, which is one component of its non-financial services programs available to clients thatalso include education, water, sanitation and hygiene, advocacy for human rights and genderequity, agricultural and food security, disaster preparedness and response, and enterprisedevelopment.The program reaches clients and others in communities served by BRAC nationwide inBangladesh. BRAC works closely with the Government of Bangladesh and international donorsto support wide-scale prevention and health promotion campaigns such as Treatment ofTuberculosis through Directly Observed Treatment, Short course (DOTS), malaria control andschool health programs. BRAC is also incorporating elements of its health programs as it38
expands and assists development organizations in other countries, such as Afghanistan, Pakistan,Uganda, Tanzania, Liberia, Sierra Leone, Southern Sudan and Haiti.Health services include education, community health promotion using trained communityvolunteers ,who also provide access to health products, and programs directed at specificdiseases and health problems such as tuberculosis and malaria, maternal, neonatal and childhealth, and the reduction of cataract-related blindness. BRAC owns and operates health facilitiesand a limb and brace center. At the end of 2010, BRAC reported that it was reaching over 100million people with a wide range of health services. 1 One of the most important components ofmany of BRAC’s health programs is the use of trained community volunteers called shasthoshebikas (SS) who provide health outreach and health product distribution. Some of the SSreceive more specialized training equipping them to work with the DOTS program as screenersand distributors of reading glasses.BRAC has a large in-house research capacity and evaluates its programs for their responsivenessto client needs, quality of services provided, and to measure and document the impact of itshealth interventions on client and community health status. BRAC routinely collects informationabout progress towards key health indicators to ensure quality and to continuously improve thequality and effectiveness of its services. Its research and monitoring have shown the following 2 :In 2002, 33 percent of pregnant women surveyed in BRAC’s village organizations hadreceived antenatal care and by 2007, the figure had risen to 72 percent, as compared to 60percent nationally. Studies in 2007 indicated that 96 percent of children were fully immunized (versus 86percent nationally) and 62 percent of women were currently using contraceptives (versus 56percent nationally).1 BRAC Annual Report 2010. BRAC: Dhaka, Bangladesh. http://www.brac.net/sites/default/files/BRAC-Annual-Report-2010.pdf2 Salam S, Khan M, Salahuddin S, Choudhury N, Nicholls P, Nasreen H. Maternal, neonatal and child health inselected northern districts of Bangladesh: Findings from baseline survey. BRAC: Bangladesh. 2008; Choudury Nand Nasreen H. Newborn care practices in Nilphamari district of Bangladesh after a year of maternal, neonatal andchild health intervention. December 2009.39
Page 1 and 2: 2011 Global Microcredit SummitCommi
Page 3 and 4: Integrating Microfinance and Health
Page 6 and 7: Microfinance clients and staff freq
Page 8 and 9: In data collected in three countrie
Page 10 and 11: Table 1: Principal barriers to heal
Page 14 and 15: outcomes (Box 1) that are criticall
Page 16 and 17: MFI-sourced over-the-counter health
Page 18 and 19: to women’s health. One such area
Page 20 and 21: As described above, research with B
Page 22 and 23: and health micro-insurance. Further
Page 24 and 25: Microfinance providers clearly can
Page 26 and 27: Figure 2. Range of health-related i
Page 28 and 29: and private-sector health professio
Page 30 and 31: BibliographyAnderson GF. Missing in
Page 32 and 33: Metcalfe M & Reinsch Sinclair M. En
Page 34 and 35: U.S. Agency for International Devel
Page 36 and 37: ASIAOrganization Health Services Co
Page 38 and 39: Organization Health Services Countr
Page 42 and 43: Rigorous studies conducted in 2008
Page 44 and 45: its clients. The doctors worked at
Page 46 and 47: All programs are currently particip
Page 48 and 49: The MAHP initiative found that heal

Integrating Microfinance and Health - Global Microcredit Summit 2011

Create successful ePaper yourself

Delete template?

Save as template?