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January
24, 2003
DECENTRALIZATION FOCUS IN USAID SALAJ HEALTH PROJECT
Minister
of Health and Family Dr. Daniela Bartos will visit Zalau on Monday,
January 27 for the official launch of a new community project
focused on the decentralization of health facilities and services
in Salaj County. Dr. Bartos will be joined by Professor Dan Georgescu,
health counselor to Prime Minister Adrian Nastase; Dana Varlan
from the Ministry of Local Public Administration; and representatives
from the American Embassy, United States Agency for International
Development (USAID), the World Bank, and World Learning.
The
project will use a "Healthy Community" approach and
mobilize citizens of Salaj County to develop decentralization
plans that are responsive to local health priorities and needs.
The primary objective of this 10-month project is a written plan
for decentralized health services in Salaj County that brings
local input to national plans for decentralization being developed
by the Ministry of Health.
At
the official launch, members of local government and the local
community will discuss the key aspects of this important health
project, which began this week in Zalau. During the first weeks
of the project, a steering committee will be formed to initiate
an assessment of local health service needs, including a series
of community meetings and focus groups. This first step is in
response to Ordinance 70, which recently conveyed ownership of
hospitals and health facilities to local communities in Romania.
According to Minister Bartos, "We hope to restructure the
health system to provide more comprehensive services, better suited
to our citizens' needs. Our hospitals are presently used for many
social services, and we look for the local governments and health
authorities to work with the community to plan how services can
be provided in more appropriate settings. We hope the methods
used in Salaj will be successful and will be a model for other
counties."
The
Salaj project is funded by the United States Agency for International
Development, through World Learning's Romanian-American Sustainable
Partnerships Program (RASP). During the course of the project,
other counties will be invited to participate in workshops focused
on the "Healthy Community" approach, and the methodology
used to develop a plan for decentralized health services that
is responsive to the needs of the population. Michael Mates, American
Embassy Representative in Cluj, highlighted the importance of
community participation: "Community involvement and local
decision making is at the very fiber of a democratic society.
Because health care and related social services touch the lives
of all citizens, there is no better place to begin."
The
RASP grant has been awarded to a partnership between the ACASA
Foundation in Zalau and The Humana Foundation in Louisville, Kentucky,
USA. Other contributed funds will leverage the grant support.
The two foundations will lead activities, working closely with
the Prefect, the County Council, the local Health Authority, mayors,
local health facilities, and other members of civil society. The
ACASA Foundation is a non-governmental organization that provides
home health care for persons in need. It plans to open a rehabilitation
center for the elderly and the handicapped in late 2003. The Humana
Foundation, the philanthropic arm of Humana Inc., has been providing
humanitarian and technical assistance to health professionals
and institutions in Romania since 1990.
For more information, please contact:
in
Zalau: Mr. Vasile Padurean, ACASA Foundation, 0744-533-178
in Bucharest: Dr. Gabriela Paleru, USAID/Romania, 0723-559-972
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