Translation: Liberia

Updating the Liberia Essential Package of Health Services

In November 2021, the Ministry of Health of Liberia established collaboration with DCP3 Country Translation to update its Essential Package of Health Services (EPHS). Building on extensive experience in systematically assessing evidence and value for money of health interventions to support decision making on resource allocations, the DCP3 evidence and approach was adopted in the process of updating the EPHS.

The revised EPHS will address the health system constraints, and clarify health priorities and direct resource allocation in Liberia. The review of the 2011-2021 EPHS comes at a crucial time for Liberia when a number of other national health policies are also being updated, including the National Health Strategic Plan and the National Health Financing Strategy.

Current work

Building on work already done, DCP3 is working with the Ministry of Health officials and partners in developing a Universal Health Coverage package of highest priority health interventions that can be covered by locally available resources. The process of revising the package is guided by key principles of transparency and inclusivity, national ownership and execution, focus on feasibility and affordability, and engagement of government institutions, non-governmental stakeholders and development partners.

Collaboration includes governance arrangements and stakeholder engagement, assessing the health system, mapping existing interventions against DCP3 recommended package, using the best available evidence in prioritizing and costing interventions, updating the package through strategic decision-making process, and securing endorsement of decision makers.

Awareness and political support

DCP3 supported the Ministry of Health in raising political awareness on UHC Essential Packages of Health Services and in engaging national stakeholders to support and own this initiative. An inception workshop was held on 20 January 2022 to sensitize government officials, partner organizations and donors, build consensus on UHC, and develop a roadmap to review the EPHS.

Governance structure and institutional arrangements

Based on discussions during the inception workshop, the MOH adopted a governance structure and established a Secretariat for the process. The technical, managerial and political roles and tasks of different stakeholders have been agreed in discussions with MOH. DCP3 is supporting technical capacity building in the Secretariat through technical trainings, experience-sharing and learning by doing.

Prioritization process

DCP3, MOH and partners agreed on a prioritization process, which involves assessing the existing health services, building consensus on decision criteria, collecting evidence on decision criteria, developing evidence briefs for each intervention, and deliberations by TWGs and HCC. A workshop to assess health services in Liberia against the DCP3 218 EUHC interventions was held on 28-29 March 2022, involving 70 TWG members and clinicians.

 

Partners

 

News

On 25-27 April 2022, the DCP3 team conducted an applied training on Health Interventions and Prioritisation Tool (HIPtool) in Buchanan, Liberia. The three-day workshop was attended by 12 senior technical personnel from the Ministry of Health of Liberia and partner organisations. The training...

On 28-29 March, 2022, the Ministry of Health of Liberia and DCP3 organized a workshop to assess the existing health services in Liberia against the DCP3 recommended essential Universal Health Coverage package. The workshop is part of the Ministry’s collaboration with the DCP3 Country...

The DCP3 Country Translation at LSHTM established collaboration with the Ministry of Health of Liberia on priority setting and development of Universal Health Coverage Essential Packages of Health Services (EPHS). The revised EPHS will strive to accelerate progress towards Universal Health...