5231.0: Wednesday, November 15, 2000 - Board 4

Abstract #10690

Evaluating a mechanism for improving service delivery by local governments in the Philippines

Cecilia S. Acuin, MD1, Marilou P. Costello, PhD1, and Dale Huntington, PhD2. (1) FRONTIERS, Population Council, Manila, Unit 2A3 Monteverde Mansions, 85 Xavier St, Greenhills, San Juan, Metro Manila, Philippines, 632-722-6886, pcmanila@philonline.com, (2) FRONTIERS, Population Council, India

Health services in the Philippines were devolved in 1993 with the vision that local government units (LGUs) would be better able to address specific needs. This was expected to result in better distribution and utilization of resources and ultimately better health for those most in need. The Dept. of Health developed a Local Government Performance Program (LPP) to assist local governments in implementing public health programs, particularly those for family planning, and maternal and child health. The LPP has three components providing support at various levels of governance.

The paper will focus on the evaluation of the third LPP component, the Matching Grants Progrma (MGP) which provides assistance to municipalities and component cities that are directly responsible for service delivery. Technical assistance helped LGUs identify gaps in current programs and funds were given to implement interventions that would address these gaps. Participant observation, in-depth interviews, review of records and focus group discussions were conducted in addition to community-based surveys to document and measure the extent to which inputs and processes resulted in the expected outcomes. Process and impact indicators were developed by the evaluation team together with key stakeholders. A feedback mechanism between the implementation and evaluation teams led to changes in the program itself. The study demonstrates that process evaluation is as essential to program development as outcomes evaluation.

Learning Objectives: At the end of this session, the participant will be able to: 1. Describe a model for evaluating a program designed to assist local governments improve service delivery 2. Assess the value of process evaluation in program development and its contribution to outcome evaluation

Keywords: Service Delivery, Evaluation

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: none
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.

The 128th Annual Meeting of APHA