Overview

USAID’s Leadership, Management, Governance (LMG) project builds in-country health and education system capacity by increasing leadership, management, and governance knowledge of health care providers, program managers, and policy makers who work on health services.  LMG supports the Ministry of Public Health (MoPH) and the Ministry of Education (MoE) by transitioning off-budget technical assistance to on-budget implementation by the ministries.  In addition, LMG provides technical assistance to the MoPH and the MoE to attain a higher degree of transparency and accountability in their governance.  LMG bridges the gap between two previous USAID projects – Tech-Serve and the Health Services Support Project (HSSP) – and any future projects.

Activities

• On-Budget Capacity: Strengthen MoPH and MoE ability to manage on-budget assistance.
• Community-Based Health Care (CBHC): Support the expansion of the MoPH’s CBHC services.
• Hospital Sector: Build on previous technical assistance to help institutionalize the autonomy of 14 National and Specialty Hospitals.
• Health Information Systems (HIS): Expand the use of information and evidence for decision-making across the health sector and improves health services and health outcomes for Afghans.
• Provincial Health System Strengthening: Increase the capacity of MoPH managers and leaders at both central and provincial levels to manage and coordinate health services to reduce mortality, especially among women and children under five. 
• In- Service Training (IST): Assist the MoPH as it establishes an In-Service Training unit.
• Post-Partum Hemorrhage (PPH): Advocate for inclusion of PPH into the BPHS, as well as the inclusion of misoprostol, an anti-hemorrhaging drug, into the MoPH’s Essential Drug List.
• Nursing and Midwifery Education: Provide technical assistance to strengthen and expand quality nursing and midwifery education.  
• The Afghanistan Nursing and Midwifery Council (AMNC): Establish the AMNC, which will serve as the high-level oversight body for midwifery and nursing activities.

Projected Accomplishments

• Readying the MoPH at central and provincial levels to assume responsibility for an expanded on-budget program. This will be accomplished, in large part, through the migration of critical technical advisory functions and positions from LMG to the MoPH.
• Continuing to strengthen critical functions of the central and provincial MoPH, including financial management, planning, transparent procurement, monitoring, and program management.
• Consolidating and scaling up an effective community mobilization approach that increases demand for quality health services by emphasizing community participation and ownership.
• Strengthening and enhancing governance practices and accountability at all levels including central, provincial, district, and community;
• Continuing to assist the MoPH as it rolls out Hospital Autonomy at 14 national and specialty hospitals.
• Continuing to build the capacity of local non-governmental organizations (NGOs) to improve the quality of health services delivered on behalf of the MoPH.
• Providing continued support to activities aimed at improving the capacity of midwives and nurses.