MEDiCAM

1
MEDiCAMs Involvement in the Health Sector

• Presented by Mr. Sovanndara Ou
• Health Information Officer,
• MEDiCAM, CAMBODIA

2
MEDiCAM and Its mandates

• Whats MEDiCAM?
• Background
• Mandates
• Information Sharing
• Representing the voice of NGOs in Cambodias
  health sector
• Facilitating advocacy
• Capacity building

3
Representing and Advocacy Bridges to Policy
makers
4
The Function of Technical Working Group for
Health

• The major functions of the TWGH are to
• Provide a forum for sharing information between
  key stakeholders
• Advise the MoH on strategic and policy issues
• Provide a monitoring overview of sector
  performance
• Facilitate intra-sector and inter-sector
  harmonization and alignment

5
How MEDiCAM representative represents the voice
of CSOs?

• Regularly engage with both the TWGH, its
  secretariat and other sub working groups or task
  force (be at the table with them)
• This high level representation is represented by
  MEDiCAMs Executive Director or a MEDiCAMs board
  member who serves as an alternate member to this
  working group and its secretariat. This is to
  ensure continuity and regularity of engagement
  with policy makers.
• The ability of the representative to articulate
  and convey NGOs inputs during the strategic or
  policy debate for health sector development is
  very crucial to effectively influence on Health
  Strategic Direction or Health Strategic Plan or
  Health Policy

6
How MEDiCAM representative communicate with its
constituency?

• MEDiCAM organizes its MEDiCAM Membership Monthly
  Meeting on every third Friday of the month to
  collect and share information with its NGO
  members. The Forum is known as 4Ms, aiming at
  sharing information from health NGOs and updating
  from MEDiCAMs representatives on health sector
  development agenda. This sometimes brings a lot
  of debate on strategic issue of the health
  system, the result of which can be consolidated
  and brought to the TWGH for further debate with
  policy makers by the representative.

7
MEDiCAM Position Paper

• Develop based on inputs from regional meetings
  with NGOs, especially grassroots NGOs
• Key issues in the Health Sector were brought up
  and listed during the Annual General Meeting of
  all MEDiCAM members.
• After long and active debate, NGOs voted for the
  priority issues that need to be put into the
  paper.
• The Executive Director makes the first draft, the
  Steering Committee provide comments, then the
  draft paper is presented at the 4Ms to have full
  consultation with health NGOs before it will be
  jointly printed with NGO Forum and CCC as the NGO
  statement to the CDCF.
• At the MoH, the Paper is presented at the JAPR
  and this year it is being used as part of the
  references for the development of HSP 2008-15

8
Some Examples of Successful Policy Development in
2006 that MEDiCAM has influenced

• Newly-revised CPA guidelines
• CBHI guidelines being put for implementation
• Framework for implementing and monitoring Equity
  Fund
• Revised Module 7 of MPA Training package
• Midterm review process of HSP (Contracting, Swim
  review, midwifery review)
• National Strategy for Child Survival
• National Strategy for RH
• Roadmap to reducing Maternal mortality
• Development of the National Nutrition Strategic
  Plan 2008-15
• Assessment of HIS by using HMN tools
• JAPR Identification of Health Priorities for
  Year 07-08

9
NGOs-RHPWG

• RHPWG Background
• 29 policy bottlenecks in RH
• Male Involvement was selected as the top priority
• Policy gap analysis
• Development fact sheets (in-country and
  out-country best practices)
• Building support and stakeholders meeting
• Round table discussion
• Development of Male Involvement Guidance and it
  has now been used to integrate into the National
  RH policy and strategy

10
NGO-CSWG

• A member of CSMC
• NGO-CSWG consolidated comments for the
  development of the National Core Strategy for
  Child Survival
• Regular representation at the CSMC
• Regular monthly meeting of the NGO-CSWG

11
Challenges and recommendations

• Strengthen the capacity of CSOs in collecting and
  collating evidence-based information
• Improve the capacity of CSO representatives to
  effectively influence policy
• Enhance enabling factors
• Donors should continue to create environment and
  structure in place for a government to respect
  and encourage the active participation of NGOs or
  CSOs. Without this, any government will give
  little value for CSOs roles (GF-CCM could be the
  best example for active CSO involvement to
  promote check and balance for good governance)

12

• Thank you for your attention