Roll Back Malaria Partnership Monitoring and Evaluation Reference Group (MERG)

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Roll Back Malaria PartnershipMonitoring and
Evaluation Reference Group (MERG)

• 5th Meeting, Cairo, 4-5 May 2005

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Outline

• RBM External Evaluation ME
• MERG
• TOR
• Membership
• Task Forces
• Products
• Future Activities
• World Malaria Report 2005

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Recommendations on ME from External Evaluation

• Failure to clearly define goals and priorities of
  the ME strategy
• Too may indicators, too many sources of data
• Insufficient guidance to countries on data
  collection and methodology
• Insufficient attention given to ensuring
  representativeness of data
• Lack of consistency in indicators and
  definitions, guidelines and practices, sampling
  methodologies

Source RBM External Evaluation
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Recommendations on ME from External Evaluation

• Priorities
• I. Build an effective system for international
  comparative purposes
• by strengthening country capacity in data
  collection
• around (e.g. 5) standardized indicators that are
  exempted from country modification
• using standardized ways of measurement
• II. Technical assistance to countries on ME of
  programmes at national district levels

Source RBM External Evaluation
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• Specific recommendations for ME
• Strengthen ME capacity
• Establish reference group for periodic
  consultation on technical issues
• Establish transparent system for assessing data
  quality and standardization across countries, esp
  for core indicators
• Establish clear guidelines for data collection
  protocols and sampling strategies
• Establish and maintain a plan and timeline for
  RBM ME reports
• Establish a format for annual reporting on
  progress with standardized indicators timeframe
• Establish global malaria database, including
  documentation of data sources and
  representativeness
• Global malaria reports every few years

Source RBM External Evaluation
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• 2nd RBM Partnership Board Meeting
• Geneva, February 2000

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RBM Global Core Indicators

• Malaria death rate (probable and confirmed) among
  target groups (under-five and other target
  groups)
• Number of malaria cases, severe and uncomplicated
  (probable and confirmed) among target groups
  (under-five and other target groups)
• of households having at least one treated
  bednet
• of patients with uncomplicated malaria getting
  correct treatment at health facility and
  community levels, according to national
  guidelines, within 24 hours of onset of symptoms
• of health facilities reporting no disruption of
  stock of antimalarial drug (as specified in the
  national drug policy) for more than one week
  during the previous 3 months

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Establish reference group for periodic
consultation

• RBM Monitoring and Evaluation Reference Group
• 1st meeting, Washington, DC, May 2003
• TOR prepared, reviewed and submitted to the Board
  through the Partnership Secretariat
• Priority activities discussed and Task Forces
  established
• mortality (chair UNICEF, first meeting July
  2003)
• morbidity (chair WHO, first meeting Feb.2004)
• anaemia (chair WHO, first meeting Oct. 2003)
• survey tools (chair Macro DHS, first meeting
  Feb.2004)
• ME capacity building in countries (chair
  Malaria Consortium)
• 2nd meeting, Kampala, November, 2003
• 3rd meeting, Geneva, May 2004
• 4th meeting, New York City, November, 2004
• 5th meeting, Cairo, May, 2005

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(No Transcript)
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Key Elements of MERG TOR

• Purpose/rationale
• to act as an advisory body for the RBM
  Secretariat on all matters pertaining to
  monitoring and evaluationon the international,
  regional, and national levels
• to provide technical advice on state-of-the-art
  approaches to monitoring and evaluation of
  malaria programs
• technical focus will be on the global indicators
  to assure consistency and accuracy in national
  and regional reporting

 GR1Will this be possible for a group that
meets 2-3 times a year?
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Key Elements of MERG TOR

• Functions
• Developing and providing technical guidance on
  appropriate data collection methods, analytic
  strategies, and dissemination of recommendations
• Identifying critical technical questions
  arising from ME activities
• Organizing smaller working groups to address
  the questions and provide technical feedback on
  issues
• Developing and maintaining consensus around ME
  strategies across partners and institutions
• Identifying and recommending strategies for
  addressing the needs for capacity building at all
  levels
• Other activities pertinent to ME as requested
  by the RBM Secretariat

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Membership

• Core 15-20 members
• WHO (HQ, AFRO, EIP represented)
• UNICEF (headquarters and regional offices)
• World Bank
• Key bilateral donors (USAID, DFID)
• Global Fund
• RBM inter-country, inter-agency teams
• INDEPTH Network of demographic surveillance
  sites
• NMCP/MOH/National Statistical Offices (or
  similar statistical or analytical divisions
  within national governments)
• -- 4 people from different countries or regions
• Research organizations or academic institutions
  with expertise in the area of malaria ME
  (including MACRO/DHS CDC, etc.)
• Others invited, depending on venue and agenda

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Key Elements of MERG TOR
Chair the Lead person for ME of malaria at
WHO Co-chair will rotate among the principal
RBM partners, starting with UNICEF Chair
WHO Co-chair UNICEF Secretariat MACRO
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Products of MERG Task Forces

• Mortality Task Force
• Recommendations for mortality monitoring for
  different intensities of monitoring for African
  countries initial focus on all-cause and
  malaria-specific mortality among children under 5
  years of age
• Final report on burden of mortality directly
  attributable to malaria for children under 5
  years of age in Africa for the year 2000
• Morbidity Task Force
• Consensus on estimation method for estimating the
  incidence of clinical malaria episodes in all
  countries
• Estimates will allow regular updating, for
  tracking of trends and progress towards RBM and
  MDG goals, and they will serve as input to WHO's
  global burden of disease

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Products of MERG Task Forces

• Anaemia Task Force
• Recommendations supporting use of anaemia in
  children under 5 years as additional impact
  indicator in stable malaria-endemic settings
• Anemia to be measured in household surveys as
  haemoglobin level, using HemoCue measurement on
  fingerprick blood, in children aged 6-59 months

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Products of MERG Task Forces

• Survey and Indicator Guidance Task Force
• RBM Core HH Survey Indicators Guidelines
  document
• Malaria Indicator Survey (MIS) package
• MIS Questionnaire and brief rational for each
  question (brief)
• MIS Tabulation Plan
• MIS Interviewers Manual
• MIS Training and Supervisor's Manual
• Guidance on sampling issues (sample size,
  framework, etc)
• Laboratory guide (Hb and parasite testing)
• CSPro survey data management tool for MIS PDA
  format

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Products of MERG Task Forces

• Strengthening National Capacity for ME Task Force

Building capacity in monitoring and evaluating
Roll Back Malaria in Africa A Conceptual
Framework for the Roll Back Malaria Partnership
-- based on review of ME capacity in NMCPs in
Africa
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Products for 2005

• WHO country-level incidence estimates based on
  MERG Morbidity Task Force estimation method
• final available soon
• Report on burden of anaemia attributable to
  malaria in African children under 5
• available soon
• MIS package being finalized
• available by June 2005
• Guidance for priorities on country support to
  improve capacity for ME based on task force
  report
• To be discussed at meeting June or July 2005
• Budgeted work plan?

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Global malaria reports every few years

• Africa Malaria Report published April 2003

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World Malaria Report 2005

• Launch May 3
• Cairo (WHO/EMRO)
• Geneva (WHO)
• New York City (UNICEF)

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DATA ENTRY
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Summary

• The RBM MERG has provided an effective mechanism
  to build consensus on core ME activities and on
  approaches to addressing technical issues
• MERG continues to function due to a core group of
  key partners committed to effective
  collaboration individual have provided financial
  support for MERG activities
• Major investment needed in capacity building at
  all levels
• RBM Board and Secretariat should advocate for the
  work of the MERG among partners and seek support
  for implementation for MERG recommendations at
  the country level
• Reporting to the global RBM partnership critical
  for keeping malaria on the global health agenda

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Discussion Points

• Leadership of MERG
• Need for changes to TOR?
• Frequency of meetings
• Next meetingwhen and where?
• Agenda items?