The methodology

During 2003 the Programme has been prepared. Implementation started in March 2004 and will continue till 2007. For the whole 5 years period 31 Million EURO, nearly 2 Billion Syrian Pounds, are available for the Health Directorates of Daraa and Lattakia, the Ministry of Health, the newly created Institute for Strategic Health Studies and the Programme implementation team (4 international long term consultants and various international and national short term consultants).


Major methodological approaches are: (i) Support of the process towards subsidiarity (particularly in the Governorates of Daraa and Lattakia) and greater autonomy; (ii) Expansion of the “Healthy Villages Programme” in order to improve relevant health promotion and diseases prevention;
(iii) Application of modern methods of quality assurance and quality management; (iv) Facing the demographical transition attention will be paid towards a sound population management, including awareness campaigns and the improved offer of reproductive health services:

(v) Strengthening of health economics and financing through fair financial options for rational health expenditure and development of solidarity based health insurance schemes; (vi) Information technologies shall support monitoring and facilitate decision making.

The application of these approaches will be supervised and evaluated by the Ministry of Health and supported by the newly created Institute of Strategic Health Studies (operational beginning of 2006) with its four departments: Population and Demographics Institute, Health Economics Institute (Macroeconomics), Health Systems Management Institute (Microeconomics) and the Public Health Institute.

Meeting of PHC-staff and community health workers in Bekrama, Lattakia Governorate