Zimbabwe has marked the Results Based Financing(RBF) project a success after the country recorded a significant improvement in coverage of maternal family and child health indicators.
Addressing journalists on behalf of the Permanent Secretary for Health and Child Care, Air Commodore Jasper Chimedza, Acting Chief Director Policy Planning, and Monitoring Evaluation, Dr Steven Banda said RBF has been a success ever since the government’s inception of the program.
“The Health Sector Development Support Project has contributed to significant progress over the past decade as witnessed by the success of the RBF program in Zimbabwe.
“Based on successful implementation and positive results, the government decided to institutionalize RBF in the health sector. This project has been made possible through support from our long-term friends, the World Bank and the Global Financing Facility who pledged US$25 million with the government committing US$24,6 million towards increasing coverage and quality of an integrated package of Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child Adolescent Health and Nutrition (RMNCAH-N) and strengthening the nation’s COVID-19 response,” he said.
RBF program ensures that 75 percent of the funds are ploughed back into health facility investments while 25 percent goes towards health worker incentives.
The government’s implementing partner, Cordaid’s team leader, Dr Endris Seid said RBF supports the National Health Strategy and Policy which ensures equity in access to health services.
“RBF seeks to remove the financial burden while ensuring that there are no user fees for patients, rebuilding the quality of care standards, strengthening the referral system and decentralizing service delivery and revitalization of primary health care,” he said.
The RBF is supported by the World Bank and the Global Financing Facility who pledged USD 25 million while the Government of Zimbabwe committed USD24.6 million towards increasing coverage and quality of an integrated package of Reproductive, Maternal, Newborn, Child Adolescent Health and Nutrition (RMNCAH-N) and strengthening the nation’s COVID-19 response.
This project became effective on December 04, 2020, and will run till April 2023.
