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Bolivia

Strengthening PROSALUD

Founded in 1985 with the technical and financial support of USAID/Bolivia, PROSALUD has become a significant player in the Bolivian health system. PROSALUD’s network of primary and secondary health care facilities serves a population of 600,000 in nine peri-urban areas, approximately 13 percent of the urban population. In addition, PROSALUD manages a nationwide social marketing program that dispenses condoms, oral contraceptives, vitamins, and injectables through its clinics, private pharmacies, and NGOs. PROSALUD has played an important role in reducing the burden on the ministry of health to provide health services and in expanding services to low- and middle-income populations.

Health Systems 20/20 has provided institutional strengthening assistance to PROSALUD since October 2007. The aim of the assistance is to make PROSALUD a more financially and organizationally sound institution. While the level of cost recovery from user fees and product sales is excellent, PROSALUD is not yet financially self-sufficient. Health Systems 20/20 carried out a rapid organizational assessment in the fall of 2007 to develop a capacity-building plan to help strengthen PROSALUD's core competencies so the organization can become self-sustaining.

To date the following has been achieved:

• Development of a strategic plan that identifies PROSALUD’s organizational priorities
• Development of a computer model for projecting the financial impact of different business scenarios including training of PROSALUD staff to use the model for key financial decisions. The model was instrumental in developing a new compensation system for paying doctors necessitated by a change in labor laws.
• Assistance in developing a new administrative and financial information system
• Strengthening of senior management team including regional directors through team-building and management training
• Assessment of the expansion of the PROSALUD hospital in Santa Cruz
• Review of PROSALUD’s norms and procedures related to quality of care

Health Systems 20/20 assistance will continue through September 2009.

For more on PROSALUD, visit http://www.prosalud.org