A Review of Health Sector Aid Financing to Somalia (World Bank Working Papers) (World Bank Working Papers; Africa Human Development)

This study reviews aid flows to the health sector in Somalia over the period 2000-2006. In close collaboration with the Health Sector Committee of the Coordination of International Support to Somalis the authors collected quantitative and qualitative data from twenty-six international agencies operating in Somalia, including bilateral and multilateral donors. The paper reaches three main conclusions. First, aid financing to the health sector in Somalia has been constantly growing, reaching US$ 7-10 per capita in 2006. Although this is a considerable amount compared to other fragile states, it may still be insufficient to address the population s needs and to meet the high operational costs to work in Somalia. Secondly, contributions to the health sector could and should be more strategic. The focus on some vertical programs (e.g. HIV/AIDS and malaria) seems to have diverted attention away from other important programs (e.g. immunization and reproductive health) and from basic health system needs (infrastructure, human resources, etc.). The third conclusion is that more analytical work on health financing is needed to drive policy decisions in Somalia. Similarly to other fragile states, quality information on health sector financing is scanty, thus affecting the policy making process negatively. "This study reviews aid flows to the health sector in Somalia over the period 2000-06. In close collaboration with the Health Sector Committee of the Coordination of International Support to Somalis, the authors collected quantitative and qualitative data from twenty-six international agencies operating in Somalia, including bilateral and multilateral donors." "The paper reaches three main conclusions. First, aid financing to the health sector in Somalia has been constantly growing, reaching US$7-10 per capita in 2006. Although this is a considerable amount compared to other fragile states, it still may be insufficient to address the population's needs and to meet the high operational costs to work in Somalia. Second, contributions to the health sector could and should be more strategic. The focus on some vertical programs (such as HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis) seems to have diverted attention away from other important programs (immunization and reproductive health) and from basic health system needs (infrastructure, human resources). The third conclusion is that more analytical work on health financing, especially on private financing, is needed to drive policy decisions in Somalia." --Résumé de l'éditeur "This study reviews aid flows to the health sector in Somalia over the period 2000-06. In close collaboration with the Health Sector Committee of the Coordination of International Support to Somalis, the authors collected quantitative and qualitative data from twenty-six international agencies operating in Somalia, including bilateral and multilateral donors." "The paper reaches three main conclusions. First, aid financing to the health sector in Somalia has been constantly growing, reaching US$7-10 per capita in 2006. Although this is a considerable amount compared to other fragile states, it still may be insufficient to address the population's needs and to meet the high operational costs to work in Somalia. Second, contributions to the health sector could and should be more strategic. The focus on some vertical programs (such as HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis) seems to have diverted attention away from other important programs (immunization and reproductive health) and from basic health system needs (infrastructure, human resources). The third conclusion is that more analytical work on health financing, especially on private financing, is needed to drive policy decisions in Somalia."--BOOK JACKET Somalia is considered the most fragile of the fragile states: more than fifteen years of war and cyclical natural catastrophes have placed an immense burden on millions of Somalis. Displacement, famine, droughts, disease outbreaks, and illiteracy have become the norm. The international community has tried to respond to Somalia's tragedy and over the years has allocated substantial amounts of funds to a variety of sectors to help address this chronic emergency. This paper focuses on aid financing to the health sector over the period 2000 to 2006. It thoroughly reviews the flows of funds in the complex aid architecture of the Somalia health sector. The study on the 2000-06 aid flows to the health sector in Somalia is a first attempt to fill a large gap of knowledge in this area. The primary objectives of the study were to assess how levels of donor financing varied over the years; which health interventions were prioritized by donors; and how evenly health sector aid was distributed to the different zones of Somalia. The overall aim of the study was to create evidence for donors, implementers and health specialists involved in allocation of financial resources to the Somali health sector Conceptual Framework -- Methodology -- Key Findings -- Qualitative Findings. Emanuele Capobianco, Veni Naidu. Includes Bibliographical References.