RSSH

ABSTRACT This GFO brings you the latest on the allocation letters, which at the time of writing are due to be dispatched within the next week. We also discuss the presentation made to the Board on the Thematic Report on Gender, why we still have no idea what we’re doing when it comes to pandemics, and what major health issues remain unresolved at the end of 2022.

ABSTRACT This article examines two challenges that arose during the development of Zimbabwe’s funding request: (1) There was not much room to maneuver with respect to the program interventions that were included in the request; and (2) A group of donors criticized the process for developing the funding request and the outcome.

ABSTRACT The Technical Evaluation Reference Group conducted Prospective Country Evaluations in eight countries for the allocation period 2017- 2019, followed by one additional year and a three-month extension. In October, a position paper was presented to inform the Strategy Committee of the results for the three-month extension period and the TERG’s recommendations, and to request submission of the document to the Board for information.

ABSTRACT An innovative one-off approach for Angola’s very specific situation is the first of its kind for the Global Fund. The Global Fund obtained guidance from the Technical Review Panel before the development of the funding request, based on an allocation for activities for four pre-selected provinces, chosen according to the burden of disease, partner funding landscape and implementation feasibility. This highly customized approach has enabled more targeted dialogue and prioritization at the provincial level and resulted in a funding request for the three diseases and health systems strengthening that responds to the real situation and needs of the priority provinces.

ABSTRACT Our review of the Office of the Inspector General’s audit revealed that incomplete data and data inaccuracies were a systemic problem in some countries during 2019 and 2020. It demonstrates health system weaknesses that all stakeholders need to address. There is a need for increased funding for resilient and sustainable systems for health to support countries to manage their data systems better. Specifically, the additional funding should be used to train healthcare workers in data collection and inculcate a culture of data analysis for decision making.

ABSTRACT Funding applications have systematically incorporated a health system strengthening component. Even though a strategy and tools have been developed to facilitate planning, resilient and sustainable systems for health remains a difficult subject to comprehend, especially when attempting to put it into operation for Global Fund teams and implementing countries.

ABSTRACT The Africa Constituency Bureau, which supports the representation of 46 African countries in their engagement with the Global Fund, convened virtual meetings of the representatives of those countries to discuss key challenges and achievements during this current strategy and collect input for the next strategy.

ABSTRACT The Technical Review Panel’s Chair, Dr Patricia Moser, gave a short presentation on the panel’s activities to the Global Fund 43rd Board meeting held virtually in May 2020. She commended the responsiveness and the flexibility of both the Secretariat and the panel members for conducting the reviews remotely. She provided feedback on the quality and content of the funding requests. As the countries that submitted in March were not affected by COVID-19 at that time, it is expected that Windows 2 and 3 will reflect the time pressures and resourcing challenges countries experienced during the COVID-19 health emergency.

ABSTRACT As even well-resourced developed countries struggle to manage their COVID-19 epidemics, Africa’s growing COVID-19 caseload threatens to overwhelm Africa’s already fragile and under-resourced health systems. Critical-care beds are one measure of a country’s preparedness – but many African countries’ number of these beds are in the single digits.

ABSTRACT The Global Fund’s policy on sustainability, transition, and co-financing allows countries to spend part or all of their co-financing on strengthening their systems for health. A sample of Global Fund allocation letters for the 2020-2022 cycle reveals that countries and the Secretariat prefer to spend co-financing funds to purchase health commodities.