Abstract

Primary health care activities started in the Ouidah district of Benin in 1983. The first phase of this project enabled the Centre régional pour le développement et santé to cover 10 communities in which health systems were organized, including training of health personnel. This second phase will develop, implement, and evaluate a streamlined health services system, and an efficient and equitable community financing system at the district level. It will identify and enforce the factors promoting the mobilization of the communities to solve their health and development problems. Specifically, the project will study the various components of primary health care in the health system; identify selection, acquisition, and distribution methods for medicinal drugs and materials; develop and test a basic health management system; study the efficiency of health service systems, and the self-financing and cost distribution at the district level; and describe the various ways of community participation.

Post-Project Summary

With the cooperation of the community health officers (CHOs), researchers identified priority problems and possible solutions. After interviewing key informants, they set out the activities and tasks of a district level management committee. They did an in-depth study of the acceptability, efficiency, and reliability of a national health information and management system; evaluated CREDESA's community health officer training program; evaluated the continuing registration of births and deaths within the community, and made recommendations for improvements; studied morbidity, the prevalence of anemia, sources of health care, and vaccination coverage in Ouidah; and conducted studies in child growth (0-5 years), socio-economic level of the communities in Ouidah, and community participation in groups initiated and not initiated by CREDESA. The objectives of this project were numerous. They were all tackled, including some that were not among the original objectives.

Recipient Institution(s)