TY - JOUR
T1 - Monitoring service delivery for universal health coverage
T2 - The service availability and readiness assessment
AU - O'Neill, Kathryn
AU - Takane, Marina
AU - Shefel, Ashley
AU - Abou-Zahr, Carla
AU - Boerma, Ties
PY - 2013/12
Y1 - 2013/12
N2 - Objective To describe the Service Availability and Readiness Assessment (SARA) and the results of its implementation in six countries across three continents. Methods The SARA is a comprehensive approach for assessing and monitoring health service availability and the readiness of facilities to deliver health-care interventions, with a standardized set of indicators that cover all main programmes. Standardized data-collection instruments are used to gather information on a defned set of selected tracer items from public and private health facilities through a facility sample survey or census. Results from assessments in six countries are shown. Findings The results highlight important gaps in service delivery that are obstacles to universal access to health services. Considerable variation was found within and across countries in the distribution of health facility infrastructure and workforce and in the types of services ofered. Weaknesses in laboratory diagnostic capacities and gaps in essential medicines and commodities were common across all countries. Conclusion The SARA flls an important information gap in monitoring health system performance and universal health coverage byproviding objective and regular information on all major health programmes that feeds into country planning cycles.
AB - Objective To describe the Service Availability and Readiness Assessment (SARA) and the results of its implementation in six countries across three continents. Methods The SARA is a comprehensive approach for assessing and monitoring health service availability and the readiness of facilities to deliver health-care interventions, with a standardized set of indicators that cover all main programmes. Standardized data-collection instruments are used to gather information on a defned set of selected tracer items from public and private health facilities through a facility sample survey or census. Results from assessments in six countries are shown. Findings The results highlight important gaps in service delivery that are obstacles to universal access to health services. Considerable variation was found within and across countries in the distribution of health facility infrastructure and workforce and in the types of services ofered. Weaknesses in laboratory diagnostic capacities and gaps in essential medicines and commodities were common across all countries. Conclusion The SARA flls an important information gap in monitoring health system performance and universal health coverage byproviding objective and regular information on all major health programmes that feeds into country planning cycles.
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U2 - 10.2471/BLT.12.116798
DO - 10.2471/BLT.12.116798
M3 - Article
C2 - 24347731
AN - SCOPUS:84887002339
SN - 0042-9686
VL - 91
SP - 923
EP - 931
JO - Bulletin of the World Health Organization
JF - Bulletin of the World Health Organization
IS - 12
ER -