Recorded presentation

Carol A. Tumaylle, MPH¹, Oscar Cordon, MD², Roberto Santiso Galvez, MD³, Gustavo Barrios Izaguirre, MD², Yadira Villaseņor de Cross, MD², Edwin Mayen Alvarado, MD², Maria Eugenia Monroy, BA⁴, Alicia Ruano de la Cruz, RN², and Ilse Santizo Salazar, MD⁵. (1) Latin America and the Caribbean Region, JHPIEGO, 1615 Thames Street, Suite 204, Baltimore, MD 21231, 410-537-1918, ctumaylle@jhpiego.net, (2) Latin America/Caribbean Office, JHPIEGO Corporation, 4a calle "A" 13-12 sector B2 San Cristobal, Zona 8 de Mixco, Guatemala, Guatemala, (3) National Reproductive Health Program, Ministry of Health/Guatemala, 5a avenida 13-27, zona 9, Guatemala, Guatemala, (4) Latin America/Caribbean Office, JHPIEGO, 4a calle "A" 13-12 sector B2 San Cristobal, Zona 8 de Mixco, Guatemala, Guatemala, (5) Guatemala Office, JHPIEGO, 4a calle, Zona 8 de Mixco, Guatemala, Guatemala

Recent national policies and accords promote increased social sector participation, decentralization and democratization in Guatemala. In response, the Ministry of Health (MOH), with support from JHPIEGO's USAID-funded Maternal and Neonatal Health (MNH) Program, has increased non-traditional public and private participation and contributions to health interventions. Interventions geared towards the creation of alliances with communities, private-sector actors, non-health government offices, non-governmental organizations, and international organizations have resulted in the collection of approximately $500,000 in the past two years (2002, 2003). This presentation will show how processes integral to a Performance and Quality Improvement (PQI) process (use of criteria derived from national norms and international evidence-based standards to determine and remedy gaps between the recommended best practices and current practices) further MOH facility-based "quality team" efforts to improve quality and performance at health posts, health centers, community maternity centers, and hospitals. Despite the scarcity of resources available through the MOH to foster change, health facilities can use the PQI process to quantify gaps in both human and material resources and skills in an objective manner. The presentation will detail MOH facilities' successes in using results of PQI interventions to educate and encourage stakeholders outside the health sector to contribute non-project material resources, manpower, and financial donations in support of the health service gaps. Lessons learned as a result of using the PQI process will be presented.

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