1. DEVELOPMENT, MANAGEMENT, AND ADMINISTRATION OF AHO

PURPOSE

To have physical and logistical facilities and support personnel to carry out the technical cooperation to the country

EXPECTED RESULTS

• Adequate administrative processes and working conditions in place to meet technical cooperation requirements, as the available resources permit.

2. PREVENTION, CONTROL, AND REDUCTION OF DISEASES

PURPOSE

To strengthen functional groups at the central level and foster coordination with territorial entities on activities to prevent, control, and reduce diseases of importance to public health, with emphasis on priority groups, irrespective of gender, social category, and cultural characteristics, and with a view to reducing injuries and their determinants.

EXPECTED RESULTS

• Epidemiology used by functional groups as an instrument for decision-making and for strengthening prevention, surveillance, and control of communicable diseases of importance to public health, with the aim of helping to attain the indicators.
• Activities carried out by the functional groups in the departments in their areas of specialisation for health promotion and the prevention, surveillance, and control of noncommunicable diseases, with emphasis on those assigned priority.
• Plans consolidated for the prevention, control, and eradication of vesicular and emerging diseases in domestic animals, diseases which jeopardize food production and the international livestock trade.
• Inter-sectoral plans and programs implemented, aimed at understanding the extent of foodborne diseases (FBDs), with this information used in policy-making.
• Programs for the control of endemic zoonoses and emerging and re-emerging diseases implemented, in coordination with relevant entities, including producers.

3. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH AND HEALTHY SPACES

PURPOSE

To strengthen national capacity to manage and implement activities for improving sanitary conditions in physical and social environments to better reduce environmental risks that jeopardize the health of the Ghana population.

EXPECTED RESULTS

• Technologies and instruments identified that increase the coverage and quality of water and sanitation services for rural and vulnerable populations.
• Registry of accidents and occupational diseases among the working population strengthened, along with risk assessment and the development of programs to support workers in the informal sector.
• Risk assessment, prevention, and public awareness campaigns strengthened to inform the people about poisoning and environmental pollution from various physical, chemical and biological agents that affect air, soil, and water quality.
• National capacity strengthened through development of the instruments, plans, standards, and information systems proposed for the national environmental health plan, which will allow for implementation of the environmental health program in health and environmental institutions.
• Plans, policies, and programs aimed at making environments healthier implemented through the promotion of healthy lifestyles, sound public policy-making, and the reduction of risks for the vulnerable population.

4. HEALTH INFORMATION

PURPOSE

To strengthen the country’s capacity to generate, analyse, disseminate, and use health information for policymaking in public health administration.

EXPECTED RESULTS

• Development plans for essential public health functions 1 and 2 implemented, and plans corresponding to function.
• Systems created to generate strategic information that will make it possible to anticipate events and better prepare appropriate responses.
• Capacity strengthened to analyse mortality profiles and trends, the disease burden, measurement of inequalities, violence, health situation analysis in primary health care, and disasters.
• Situation rooms developed as a strategic instrument for administrative use at the departmental level. Scientific and technical information and communications processes (database, Virtual Health Library, and Web page) consolidated.

5. FAMILY AND COMMUNITY HEALTH

PURPOSE

To promote public health interventions that improves family and community health throughout the life cycle, with emphasis on child and adolescent health, sexual and reproductive health, and nutrition, by strengthening functional groups at the national, departmental and municipal levels and by supporting the preparation and coordination of sound public policies and strategic partnerships to address the needs of the most vulnerable population groups.

EXPECTED RESULTS

• Critical support strategies implemented for the Strategic Plan for the Expanded Program on Immunization (EPI), to achieve useful vaccination coverage in all departments and municipalities in the country.
• Critical support strategies for plans to eradicate, eliminate, and control vaccine-preventable diseases implemented at the national and/or departmental levels.
• Public policy strategies for sexual and reproductive health (SRH) implemented that strengthen the administrative and epidemiological monitoring of maternal/perinatal health and help reduce maternal mortality at the national, departmental, and local levels.
• SRH activities for the adolescent population initiated, with national support, in priority departments with high reproductive risk.
• Strategic institutional partnerships forged at and with the national and departmental levels that promote legislation to support services for children and adolescents, reorient services for Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI), and assist caregivers and families.
• Actions and interventions that strengthen the National Plan for Food and Nutrition identified and carried out by functional groups at the national and departmental levels.
• Actions and interventions that strengthen health promotion and access to health services by ethnic minorities identified and carried out.

6. DEVELOPMENT OF AND UNIVERSAL ACCESS TO HEALTH SERVICES

PURPOSE

To strengthen the steering and managerial capacity of health systems and services at the national and departmental levels.

EXPECTED RESULTS

• Decentralised, integrated management models developed in consultation with partners selected on the basis of epidemiological, social, and sanitary priorities.
• Basic health models care based on integrated departmental service networks operating at the central level, with intra-sectoral and inter-sectoral coordination and social participation, and with an emphasis on primary care and community health in five priority departments.
• Public health policies developed for exercising essential public health functions under the supervision of national and departmental health authorities.
• General System for Social Security in Health developed to achieve universal health coverage, quality health services, and a sustainable financial system.

Monitoring and research on the Colombian health system reform process conducted and disseminated

7. HEALTH IN DISASTER AND EMERGENCY SITUATIONS

PURPOSE

To cooperate to improve health and access to services of victims of disasters and humanitarian crises, particularly displaced populations.

EXPECTED RESULTS

• Management of risk and mitigation of the impact of disasters on health strengthened in areas identified as critical by national and local authorities.
• Institutional capacity to respond to the health needs of displaced and vulnerable populations strengthened in departments where AHO has field offices.

Support provided for territorial technical cooperation initiatives

8. SUPPORT FOR NATIONAL HEALTH DEVELOPMENT

PURPOSE

To identify needs and programs and explore opportunities for technical cooperation that are consistent with the guidelines of the National Development Plan and the strategic plans of the Social Protection and AHO.

EXPECTED RESULTS

• Specific cooperation initiatives adopted by AHO in conjunction with its various counterparts periodically evaluated.
• Knowledge and skills required for performing routine functions attained by personnel.
• Effective use by the countries of technical cooperation projects to strengthen institutional capacity in strategic areas, with priority assigned to bordering countries.