The Technical and Management Support Team supports the Government of Orissa’s Department of Health and Family Welfare in achieving the objectives of the Orissa Health Sector Plan.

The Orissa Health Sector Plan aims to improve the health status of the people of Orissa and provide them with equitable access to good quality health care. The plan aims to achieve equity in health care by reducing disparities in four areas:

1. regional
2. poor and disadvantaged social groups, including scheduled castes and scheduled tribes
3. gender
4. vulnerable groups, including those with disabilities and the elderly.

The Technical and Management Support Team (TMST) supports the forging of relationships across government departments to develop the foundations required for an effective sector-wide approach, and at the district level to strengthen planning procedures based on needs assessments and situational analyses. The TMST also works towards effective human resource management solutions in health centres, particularly in health facilities in remote areas and improve training and capacity of government and medical staff. The TMST is also focusing on developing the voice of communities and civil society to ensure demand is sustained for adequate health services, particularly in areas that are currently excluded and underserved.

The role of the TMST is two-fold:

1. As a technical body, it is assisting the DoHFW in realising the health sector plan objectives by:

• Assisting to develop planning skills
• Supporting policy development
• Assisting implementation through mentoring to build capacity and institutionalise learning
• Helping to measure impact
• Feedback and dissemination enabling future policy initiatives and plans to learn from previous work and incorporate changes as necessary.

2. As a management support and capacity building body, it is strengthening the DoHFW to sustain initiatives at the end of the programme, through:

• Leadership and change management
• Human resource development
• Operational management and efficiencies
• Quality consciousness
• New concepts of results based financing, new public health, public private partnerships (PPP) etc.
  

The technical assistance plan is centred around the seven strategies of the Orissa Health Sector Plan:

Strategy 1 – Integrating the existing programmes of Health and Family Welfare

Strategy 2 – strengthen health services delivery to be effective and responsive

Strategy 3 – strengthening the Health Sector Management Systems

Strategy 4 – enhance demand and utilisation of services and mainstreaming equity and gender

Strategy 5 – promote decentralised, participative planning and implementation through the PRIs

Strategy 6 – address health determinants through convergence among the related GoO departments

Strategy 7 – improving efficiency and effectiveness of health expenditure through sector-wide planning

The Orissa TMST is co-managed by Options and IPE India, with whom Options is involved in a number of successfully managed projects including the Technical Assistance Support Team in West Bengal and the Management and Technical Support Team in Madhya Pradesh, both funded by DFID.

 

To learn more about the TMST in Orissa, go to the website at www.indiahealthtast.org or contact Alison Dembo Rath on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it or Melissa Cole on This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .