World Bank Rates National Health Support Program’s Implementation “Moderately Satisfactory”

The World Bank has rated the implementation progress of the ‘National Health Support Program’ of around $300 million as moderately satisfactory. Official documents revealed that $258 million was committed by the International Development Association, which was later revised to $252 million. Of the $252 million, $117.24 million i.e. 46.10% has been disbursed so far, while $137.07 million undisbursed. Further, a grant from the global financing facility in the amount of $42 million was also committed, where $22.85 million was disbursed. The National Health Support Program became effective in October 2022, with the objective of strengthening equitable delivery and quality of essential health services at the primary healthcare level in support of Universal Health Coverage. The closing date of the project is 31 December 2026. The development objective of the National Health Support Program for Pakistan was to strengthen equitable delivery and quality of essential health services at the primary health care level in support of universal health coverage. Pakistan’s federal and provincial governments have embarked on a reform agenda to strengthen health systems performance and, in turn, health and nutrition outcomes. This translates into a three-pronged approach, in which the first set of reforms aims to align primary health care (PHC) to deliver a high-quality benefits package (BP), which entails demand generation and supply side readiness, such as facilities, human resources (HR), and referral systems. The second set of reforms aims to establish integrated approaches to PHC delivery, including in financing, and the management of HR and information systems. And, the third set of reforms aims to address the issue of inadequate financing for PHC and weak public financial management (PFM). Implementation progress has picked up in the Ministry of National Health Services Regulation and Coordination (MoNHSR&C) and the provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and Sindh after some initial delays. The mid-term review of the Program took place in October 2024. Provinces of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab, and Sindh have demonstrated some progress on the PHC systems strengthening despite some initial delays. The ongoing household survey will provide information on three PDO indicators. The remaining PDO indicator (non-salary budget for Primary Health Care) calculated for three provinces, and based on data from the Controller General of Accounts, is on track.