1. Int J Health Serv. 2014;44(2):323-35.
The role of international NGOs in health systems strengthening: the case of
Timor-Leste.
Mercer MA, Thompson SM, de Araujo RM.
Achieving the United Nations Millennium Development Goals for health will require
that programs supporting health in developing countries focus on strengthening
national health care systems. However, the dominant neoliberal model of
development mandates reduced public spending on health and other social services,
often resulting in increased funding for nongovernmental organizations (NGOs) at
the expense of support for government systems. East Timor, later Timor-Leste, is
an example of a post-crisis country where international NGO efforts were
initially critical to providing relief efforts to a traumatized population. Those
groups were not prepared to help develop and support a standardized Timorese
national health plan, however, and the cost of their support was unsustainable in
the long term. In response, local authorities designed and implemented a
post-crisis NGO phase-over plan that addressed risks to service disruption and
monitored the process. Since then, some NGOs have worked collaboratively with the
Ministry of Health to support specific efforts and initiatives under a framework
provided by the ministry. Timor-Leste has shown that ministries of health can
facilitate an effective transition of NGO support from crisis to development if
they are allowed to plan and manage the process.
PMID: 24919307 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]