Angola Health System Assessment 2010
The Health Systems 20/20 Project fielded a three-person team to conduct a rapid assessment of the Angolan health system to inform USAID/Angola’s new health sector strategy for 2011-2015 and provide recommendations for the Angolan Ministry of Health (MINSA) that is launching a new district health strategy. This assessment updates a similar assessment done in 2005. Since 2005, the Angolan health system has realized progress in health financing, human resources, information systems, governance, and service delivery, facilitated by continued peace, political stability, rapid economic growth, and major investments in infrastructure such as roads, water, and housing. Although prevalence of underweight children and fertility have declined significantly, key indicators such as infant and under-five mortality, maternal mortality and HIV prevalence appear stagnant are still high compared to regional averages. Health sector stakeholders are benefiting from the availability of new data from health surveys, studies, and slight improvements in the routine facility and epidemiological surveillance systems. Government health financing continues to be relatively low at 5 percent of total public expenditures, but is more equitable and effective as public spending on primary health care tripled. Access to health services rose slightly but is still less than half the population.
MINSA is demonstrating political commitment to improve access to health services and equity through its district health strategy, which has the explicit support of major partners such as the European Union, World Bank, and UN agencies. As implementation begins in earnest, the district health strategy crystallizes specific challenges facing MINSA and its partners: funding of non-labor recurrent costs, consistent supply of essential medical products, integration of vertical programs at the district level, how to extend access, how to reach communities, and donor coordination.
