The Ministry of Health, through its Performance-Based Financing (PBF) Program, conducted a four-day training on financial management in Buchanan, Grand Bassa County. The seven counties trained were: Montserrado, Bomi, Gbarpolu, Rivercess, Sinoe, Grand Kru, and Maryland.
The training aimed to enhance the knowledge and skills of Officers-In-Charge (OICs) and second screeners on proper financial reporting and analyzing of financial data to make informed decisions to effectively manage the PBF incentives; to increase the knowledge of OICs and second screeners on basic logistics and procurement processes especially in the informal market; and to improve the capacity of accountants and procurement officers from the health facilities and County Health Teams on the financial management processes and procedures of the Ministry of Health.
The Deputy Minister for Administration, Hon. Martha C. Morris, made the opening remarks and declared the training open for the four days.
“I bring greetings and welcome all of you on behalf of the Minister of Health, Hon. Dr. Louise Mapleh Kpoto. There has been an improvement in the quality of healthcare, especially primary healthcare infrastructure. As part of the Performance-Based Financing Program, health facilities are developing business plans by allocating and utilizing their earned performance incentives, and by setting priorities to improve healthcare service delivery,” she emphasized. “Listen keenly to the facilitators because it will help you to roll out the knowledge gained at the county level. Thanks for attending and know that every penny spent from the PBF Program should be measurable, meaningful, and impactful.”
Key areas that the training focused on were: Overview of Performance-Based Financing (PBF); PBF Funds Flow and Disbursement; Financial Procedures at Health Facilities and County Health Teams; Managing Income and Expenditure; Petty Cash Management; Procurement Management; Audit and Quality Control; Strategic Planning through PBF Business Plan; and Financial Reporting.
Facilitators were senior staff from the Performance-Based Financing Program, Procurement Unit, Office of Financial Management, and the Project Implementation Unit of the Ministry of Health. They included: Patrick M. Guzeh, Vera G. Mussah, Garyeazohn Clarke, Oscar Gbearr, D. Emmanual Williams, Arthur Koon, and Eric J.S. Koker, among others.
Madame Helena T. Krah, Accountant – Redemption Hospital, and Mr. Abraham L. Tokpah, Accountant – Gbarpolu County Health Team, made remarks on behalf of the participants. They thanked and appreciated the Ministry of Health for providing such a knowledgeable and impactful training, and committed to rolling out the training at their respective health facilities and counties.
Dr. Gorbee Logan, Technical Assistant to Dr. Catherine Thomas Cooper, Chief Medical Officer/RL, proxy on behalf of Dr. Catherine Cooper. In his closing remarks at the training, he indicated that donor’s contribution to health is declining in Liberia. “The Ministry of Health is putting in measure to sustain the healthcare delivery system. The Performance-Based Financing Program is one of the strongest programs at the Ministry of Health. In addition to the Performance-Based Financing Program, we’re also incorporating the Community Revolving Drug Fund (CRDF) to address the issue of drug shortage and drug supply. The training shouldn’t just serve for PBF purposes, but should be used for other mechanisms in the future. Thanks to the World Bank and the Ministry of Health for their constant support of capacity building and skills training of staff from the health facilities and County Health Teams across Liberia. Let’s work together collectively in moving the health sector in a direction that is accepted globally.”
The training on financial management for health facilities and County Health Teams from seven counties was funded by the World Bank through the Institutional Foundations to Improve Services for Health (IFISH) Project.