The Board of Directors of the African Development Bank (AfDB) Group has approved the restructuring of the support programme to National Health Development Programme (Health-II) and has provided a grant of UA 6 million, equivalent to US$ 9.24 million, from the Fragile States Facility (FSF) for Guinea Bissau.
The Health II project went underway in August 2001 and its implementation is ongoing. The project has made it possible to build and equip 12 health centres in 4 regions of the country as well as rehabilitate 9 buildings of the Simao Mendès National Hospital (HNSM).
The project is also expected to renovate and equip the HNSM as well as set up a biomedical and infrastructure maintenance system. It will also establish an administrative and a financial management system in the hospital.
The implementation of these activities is facing challenges due to the country's fragility is emergence from crisis; a situation characterized by weak institutional capacity, inadequate internal resources, a decline in economic activities and a drop in human development indicators. The Health II project is therefore facing many constraints which are threatening the project's viability.
The additional grant is being justified by the need to sustain investments that have already been made by the country in the Health-II project for some 1.64 million people.
The completion of the Simao Mendes National Hospital (HNSM) and its equipment, as well as the creation of an efficient administrative and financial management and a related maintenance system will enable Guinea have a referral centre which will support primary health training in the fight against disease and mortality. By so doing, the country will have an operational health system which will efficiently help in efforts at attaining the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).
The implementation of the remaining activities will take place over a 2-year period.
* UA 1 = US$1.54027 as of January 1, 2009
CONTACT : Lotfi Madani - Tel. : +216 71 10 31 98 - E-mail : l.madani@afdb.org
