| Project Detail |
Project Name Health Sector Enhancement Program
Project Number 56069-001
Country / Economy Georgia
Project Status Approved
Project Type / Modality of Assistance Loan
The proposed program will support Georgias health sector reforms, which will prioritize primary health care (PHC) and specialized outpatient and diagnostic services through sector regulation, redefining health care benefits, improving strategic purchasing mechanisms, and restructuring governance and organizational arrangements, to enhance the sectors operational efficiency, service delivery, and financial sustainability. The program is aligned with Strategy 2030 of the Asian Development Bank (ADB) and supports the operational priorities on addressing remaining poverty and reducing inequalities; accelerating progress in gender equality; tackling climate change, building climate and disaster resilience, and enhancing environmental sustainability; and strengthening governance and institutional capacity. The program is consistent with ADBs country partnership strategy for Georgia to support the governments development priority for human capital development as well as climate change action. The proposed stand-alone policy-based loan (PBL) comprises two tranches amounting to a total of $50 million from ADBs ordinary capital resources.
Project Rationale and Linkage to Country/Regional Strategy
Georgias 8-year National Health Care Strategy 2022-2030 presents an opportunity for transformative reforms in the health sector, which require financing, international expertise, and institutional support to achieve targets timely. The government of Georgia is committed to focusing on PHC reforms comprehensively and holistically to address current and future health challenges. Additional expertise and capacity are needed to: (i) increase benefits and clarity of benefits offered to the population for PHC, specialized outpatient and diagnostic services; (ii) strengthen quality of PHC service provision via strategic purchasing; (iii) improve digital information systems for efficient management of results-based PHC programming and health financing; and (iv) improve PHC stewardship and governance, clinical protocols, healthcare quality, and continuing medical education and continuing professional development.
Policy-based loan is the most appropriate modality given (i) the government has a strong commitment for concrete health sector reforms; (ii) MOH has experience in implementing ADB projects; (iii) ADB has experience in Georgias health sector and has supported analyses on health financing, PHC, public financial management, and regional health security that contributed to policy dialogue and policy development; and (iv) budget support is necessary to cover development financing gaps. |
