NGOS BACKING HONDURAS IN THE HEALTH SECTOR Health

NGO’S BACKING HONDURAS IN THE HEALTH SECTOR

• Health situation: the Honduran population is at risk of falling ill and dying due to the range of transmisible illnessses, degenerating chronic illnesses, malnutrition in vulnerable population groups, lessions, accidents, and others. • In addition, the high rates of maternal mortality from preventable causes, as well as infant neonatal mortality. • Health system situation: the health system is undergoing a critical moment, however, efforts are being made to be able to provide quality health services to all the population.

In order to regulate, harmonize and to allow for the rational use of resources of Health Cooperation, The Secretary of State for Health in Honduras, through presidential Decree No. 1464, of November 2001, has made the “Rules and Procedures Manual for Health Cooperation” available.

The Nonrefundable cooperation received at the Secretary of Health can be through: • Donations: spontaneous offers from agencies, international organizations, countries, NGO’s and private individuals and business, foreign and domestic or by initiative of the Secretary of Health. • Principles for the donation of resources: Ø Order and Transparency: following all steps established in the processes defined by the Secretary Ø Responsibility: no staff or employee of the Secretary may accept donations unless specifically assigned to do so by the Secretary. .

• Principles for Donations of Resources: Ø Importance: donations will be accepted any time they meet the general criteria, technical specifications, or minimal requirements established in the regulations. Ø Quality: the products being donated will have to meet quality controls. Ø Audit: once donations become the property of the Secretary, all the products will be subject to the same inventory controls assigned to official government property.

Resources that can be accepted as donations: 1) Material Resources 2) Financial Resources 3) Technical Assistance The institution, individual, or business, that wishes to make a donation, will be required to send a a message either by mail, fax, electronic mail, or any other means available, to the Secretary of Health, either locally, regionally, or to the institution itself, and follow all the necessary steps in the donation process.

• Medical Brigades under regular conditions: Under regular conditions in the country, the process must be arranged and coordinated with the authorities of health, at the corresponding level, and must follow the policies, priorities, and population areas defined by the Secretary of Health of our country. National and International Medical Brigades must request the corresponding authorization to the authorities, at the corresponding level, prior to arriving/conducting a brigade.

Principles that govern Medical Brigades Ø Responsibility: The Secretary of Health according to the Constitution and the law, defines national health policy, processes, planification, coordination and supervision of all public and private activities in the area of health. Ø Hirarchy: The Secretary at the departmental and municipal levels will engage through the regional offices. Ø Legal framework: the national and international medical brigades will be subject to the laws of the country.

NGO’s that work in the area of health must register with the Secretary of Health. This is to ensure that they meet the requirements, resources, and have the means to be able to perform the health functions that they wish to pursue. The Secretary of Health will only be able to enter into conventions with national and international NGO’s that are duly conformed and registered according to the law.

In order for the Secretary of Health and the cooperating NGO’s to be able to work together, the following principles must be met: Ø Responsibility: The Secretary of Health is by law responsible of regulating, planning, coordinating and supervising of all public and private activities in the health area. Ø Hirarchy: the Secretary at the departmental and municipal levels will undertake the coordination, through the regional health offices. Ø Priority: The NGO’s will have to coordinate their health activities with the corresponding level, and focus their activities according to the policies, needs, proprities, and areas, defined by the Secretary.

The National Health Plan for 2010 -2014 is framed among others, in objective number 3 of the Country’s Vision towards 2038 and the National Plan for 2010 -2022. “Health as a pillar for the improvement of life”. The above must be a reference to identify those areas in which NGO’s may assist in the support for the country. In order to meet the objectives of these plans, assistance is necessary in different areas: a. Material Resources: in order to be able to assist in the different health promotion and prevention projects that the Secretary of Health has been developing in the areas of hospital and walk-in clinics.

b. Technical Assistance: for the development of the capacities of human resources in health, to improve the carry-out of health services within the system, and by accomplishing, as a result, the availability of nurturing and quality attention to the population. c. Financial Resources: v for the improvement of current conditions in the areas of infrastructure, equipment and capacity to dispense medicines and materials within the health network in the entire country, which includes “cesamos”, “cesares”, national, regional, and local hospitals. v Financing of projects, consulting, advising, scientific research and special events, all of which will enable the improvement of the population’s health.

However, the needs and permanent demands presented by the different regions of the country must not be forgotten. These have been presented through the Regional Councils for Development in the framework of the Vision for the Nation and the National Plan, and they stress the improvement of the infrastructure of the different regions, in addition to the availability of medicines and materials. We must not forget that there continues to be a real need to take acctions regarding prevention of transmisible illnesses, malnutrition for children under the age of 5, chronic and degenerative illnesses, and the lowering of the mother and child mortality rate. This last one deserves special effort.

As example of very specific needs, the following can be mentioned: 1. There is urgent need to open an Ofthalmology Unit in Honduras, due to the fact that there is a growing loss of eyes, as a result of inadecuate handling of eye traumas and ofthalmologic illnesses. 2. Strengthening of the Mother and Infant wards in the San Felipe and Leonardo Martinez Hospitals in Tegucigalpa and San Pedro Sula, respectively. 3. The creation of the Unit for Quimotherapy and Iodine Treatment for the cases of cancer at the San Felipe Hospital in Tegucigalpa.