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improve their planning and policy making work; donor coordination; gender and human rights policy;
and EU integration activities. The monitoring function could include systematic monitoring of the
performance of the MOH against its performance obligations. The detailed monitoring of providers
could be undertaken in the service areas discussed later in this report and there could be close
cooperation between those service areas and this monitoring function. Sometimes the monitoring
and evaluation function is separate from policy and planning but there are probably insufficient
resources to support this for the Department of Strategic Management. Also the same skills used in
facilitating policy and planning can be used for monitoring. A full evaluation function has not been
suggested at this stage as this requires well developed policy, planning, monitoring and supporting
information to be in place before it can deliver much value, however, targeted areas could be
reviewed using methods tailored to the level of information available. There may be changes
required to administrative instructions to permit the placement of the EU integration and the gender
and human rights offices in this unit.
Health information services would include policy and planning for HIS development and
management. A strategy for the HIS is under development so this report does not deal further with
this area.
HR development and regulation would include policy and planning in this area and provision or
funding of training and other related services for health professionals. Given the small size of the
registration and licensing office and the two offices providing HR development services,
consideration could be given to combining the administrative parts of these offices. The professional
development functions in the Department of Health Services need to be considered to assess
opportunities for rationalisation and improvement.
Productivity and quality improvement services could focus on the strategy for improving
productivity in the health sector as well as promoting improvements in quality, including developing
standards, guidelines and clinical protocols. The productivity work is likely to be a significant one at
the strategic level. The policy settings in this sector should be constantly reviewed to look for ways
to improve productivity.
Health Care Commissioning Agency would undertake work to develop and implement the
purchasing/funding role. This role needs to draw on the rest of this department as well as the rest of
the MOH.
Some possible variations on this include:
HIS reporting directly to the PS as one of the key services of the MOH given its critical
importance to supporting many of the reforms and improvements in health services in the
future.
Health Care Commissioning Agency could remain as a separate agency but given the large
demands and the need to draw on the rest of the department this may not be a viable option.
See the discussion in Appendix G.
SECTION VI Secondary and Tertiary Services
Current situation and issues
As noted above, there are currently many corporate services positions reporting to the PS, but only
two positions reporting to the PS that relate to MOH’s role in health services: the Department of
Health Services and the Department of Pharmacy. The Department of Health Services has around
11.5 staff in positions in three divisions spanning primary health, public health, mental health and
secondary and tertiary health and another 13 staff located in two training centres. The three divisions
are: health care (head vacant), private practice (3 staff), and public health (head in place). There are
five offices situated within divisions: Office for Primary Health Care (1 staff), Office for Hospital
Institutions (vacant), Office of Mental Health (half time position), Office for HIV/AIDs (vacant), and
Office for Overseas Treatment Abroad (2 staff). There are two centres: Centre Development Family
Medicine (7 staff) and Centre for Nursing Education (6 staff but 3 may move to the Office for
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