Mali Program Focus

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In Mali, MLI has been working closely with the Ministry of Health and Ministry of Social Development to put in place critical health financing reforms to improve access to healthcare for the country’s whole population. In 2005, the government implemented an initiative to support free Cesarean Sections performed at public facilities. Most recently, with support and technical assistance from MLI, Mali has developed a strategy, soon to be piloted, to scale up community-based health insurance, or “mutuelles”, nationally. In addition, MLI is working with the Reproductive Health (RH) Division and other senior ministerial leaders to build a stronger evidence base within the Ministry in order to boost reproductive health outcomes and make progress towards achieving MDG 5. MLI’s activities in Mali include:

• Universal Health Coverage by providing technical support to the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Social Development to develop and pilot the national strategic plan to expand health mutuelles nationwide and provide financial access to health care for 80% of the currently uninsured population. The decision by the Government of Mali to elaborate a national strategic plan for the expansion of mutuelles was informed by the participation of ministry representatives, civil society, and locally elected leaders in an MLI-sponsored study tour to Rwanda, one of the few African countries to successfully scale up community-based health insurance nationwide.

• Reproductive Health by supporting the RH Division in the Ministry of Health, civil society representatives, and technicians from technical and financial partners to use evidence more effectively to influence RH Policy, including conducting operational research to explore innovative mechanisms to overcome transport barriers  for women  in need of emergency obstetric and neonatal care services and organizing a policy dialogue and technical working session to review and disseminate findings from an evaluation of Mali’s Free Cesarean Section Initiative

• Communications by supporting the development and implementation of a national mutuelles communication strategy to inform communities about the basic package of covered health services, with an emphasis on the availability of preventive health services, including family planning

• Leadership Training for Senior Ministry officials to reinforce and strengthen both personal and institutional competencies needed to achieve the ambitious goals outlined in the Ministry’s social and health development plan (PRODESS), aimed at improving the coordination and harmonization of sustainable health and social development policy.