Many thanks Tamar,

I just had a meeting with Akaki Zoidze and we also agreed that costing of drugs is too ambitions, but he said they might at least suggest the mechanisms for the time being.

The external experts are requesting from me the current “package”, to have a better understanding of what is it about.

As I understood from Akaki, the package is defined by a couple of paragraphs in the Law on the State Budget and in the Decree of the ministry on the PHC programme, which is issued every year.

Could we get those documents defining the package for 2020? I will then arrange for translation into English and share with the external experts.

Thank you and best regards,

Silviu

 

 

 

Dear Silviu

Many thanks for drafting ToR. Deliverables are well defined. As of the costing for drugs I think it would be too ambitious for this team to cover a drug component. My expectation would be them to focus on a service package including integration of preventive and currently vertically implemented services into an unified service package for the entire country population-rural and urban.

Please let me know if you have additional questions.

With kind regards

პატივისცემით,

თამარ გაბუნია

მინისტრის პირველი მოადგილე

 

Sincerely,

Tamar Gabunia, MD, MPH

First Deputy Minister

 

 

 

 

 

Dear Tamar,

We are progressing well with mobilizing external expertise for the work on PHC package and its costing.

For the time being we identified 3 experts to work with us – one from Portugal, one from Estonia and a WHO staff from the Almaty Office. They could start second half of March. You can find below preliminary objective and deliverables to be included in their Terms of Reference.

I also plan to meet with local experts early next week and agree on the deliverables from their part and timeframes.

I would appreciate you going through the deliverables below and letting me know if you are fine with them. Any additional suggestions are welcomed!

Also if you have any ideas for the local experts in terms of deliverables (apart from the revised package), please let me know.  

We didn’t discuss during our meeting whether we focus both on rural and urban PHC services? I guess we do… Will there be a unified package, or still some differences?

One of the challenge in costing might be related to costing of the medicines component. We are just starting our work in that area and don’t have much information. Let’s see to which extent that is possible. We could at least chose a concrete priority, like addressing hypertension, and do a more detailed costing if possible.

There will be many questions in the process, but important to have the teams on board and start the work. I hope we can manage with all the contracts next week.

Thank you and have a nice weekend,

Silviu

 

 

 

Objective:

provide technical expertise to the Ministry to cost the revised PHC service packages to support the policy dialogue in strengthening the role of PHC through continuous increase of public funding and enhanced PHC contracting and payment systems.

 

Deliverables:

1. Two technical assistance missions (indicative timing: 1^st mission end of March or early April; 2^nd mission May-June)

(ONE OPTION IS THAT 2^ND MISSION WILL BE JOINTLY WITH THE POLICY DIALOGUE)

2. Methodological guidance for local consultants
3. Policy brief summarizing the current situation in Georgia with methodological guidance and policy recommendations and roadmap to cost the PHC service (ideally including also outpatient medicines) packages and to enhance PHC contracting and payment methods (1^st draft for consultation early May, final draft mid-June)
4. Continuous inputs and comments to the package of services under revision by the local experts
5. Costing model with alternative policy scenarios to expand the PHC service package to inform the  budgeting process and implementation of PHC roadmap
6. Contribute to the working group meetings with stakeholders by sharing the best international practices and discussing policy options for Georgia
7. Capacity building of the Ministry and SSA staff
8. Active participation in mission(s) preparation