Montenegro

“Good Health System Governance in Montenegro”, a new joint project of WHO and UNDP

Podgorica, 6 October 2010

Under the UN integrated programme ”Delivering as One” in Montenegro, the World Health Organization (WHO) Country Office in Montenegro and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP)  in Montenegro launched a joint project “Good Health System Governance for Equitable, Effective and Quality Health Care in Montenegro”. The objective is capacity building and technical assistance to the Ministry of Health (MOH) of Montenegro to define strategy for hospital sector reform, with a focus on equity in access, efficiency and transparency.

The expected outcome of the Project is to provide a road map for stepwise implementation of priority reform measures. The aim is to ensure an adequate response to the population’s health needs and enable equal access to quality health services across different levels of care to all social groups regardless of their socio-economic status and geographical distribution.

The Project started in September 2010 and will last six months, with technical assistance provided by Dr Jan Bultman, an international consultant from Netherlands, as a team leader and three more international experts: Ms Triin Habicht, Head of the Health Economics Department within the Estonian Health Insurance Fund, Dr Maris Jesse, Director of the Estonian National Institute for Health Development and Dr Oriol Ramis, an international consultant from Spain.

During the first experts’ mission, from 27th September 2010 to 7th October 2010, numerous meetings and intense dialogues were carried out with key stakeholders and establishment of a national working group has been initiated. On 06 October 2010, in a meeting with Minister of Health of Montenegro Prof. Miodrag Radunovic and Head of WHO CO Montenegro Ms Mina Brajovic, as well as representatives of the Institute of Public Health, Health Insurance Fund, Clinical Centre and other major stakeholders, the experts presented findings and results of preliminary situation analysis and the outline of hospital sector reform strategy including key challenges to be addressed from the aspect of hospital governance, financing and providers’ network.

A stance of mutual responsibility and a long term commitment to a mutual problem solving was recognized among all stakeholders at this introduction stage of the project. It is further expected that during the next mission of team leader Dr Bultman in mid November, a first draft hospital strategy will be presented to the MOH and other stakeholders. A study visit of delegation from Montenegro is also planned to Estonia, during which they will meet the representatives of Estonian health authorities and get acquainted with their experience in the reform of hospital sector.