Health facility management committees: involving communities in healthcare delivery in Kenya
This brief presents findings from research conducted before and one year after Health Sector Services Fund implementation
Abstract
Community involvement in health facilities is a mechanism for improving the quality and use of services: it should increase facility managers’ responsiveness to local needs, and improve community members’ awareness of available care. In Kenya, community participation initiatives have included the involvement of community members in Health Facility Management Committees.
Whilst facility committees have in the past been responsible for overseeing the operations and management of health facilities and user fees, their roles were extended in 2010 to manage facility budgets allocated from the Health Sector Services Fund (HSSF).
This brief presents findings from research conducted before and one year after HSSF implementation. The research demonstrates that committees have played a key role in HSSF implementation, and in health centre and dispensary management more generally. Areas identified for improvement include financial management training, targeted supportive supervision and community awareness of committees and their roles.
This research is supported by the Department for International Development’s RESYST (Resilient and Responsive Health Systems) programme which is led by the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine
Citation
Waweru, E.; Molyneux, S.; Goodman, C. Health facility management committees: involving communities in healthcare delivery in Kenya. (2014) 2 pp.
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