The National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) was launched in 2005 with a vision to provide universal access to equitable, affordable and quality health care. In order to ensure that these outcomes are achieved and quality and accountable health services which are responsive and are taking care of the needs of the poor and vulnerable sections of the society. There are flexible mechanisms built into the mission so that local needs and priorities can be identified and addressed and local initiatives promoted. Community based monitoring involves drawing in, activating, motivating, capacity building and allowing the community and its representatives to directly give feedback about the functioning of public health services, including giving inputs for improved planning of the same. In this monitoring process thrust is mainly on ‘fact-finding’ and ‘learning lessons for improvement’ rather than ‘fault finding’. It is a three-way partnership between healthcare providers and managers; the community and Panchayati Raj Institutions. To conclude, CBM of health services is a key strategy of NRHM to ensure that the services reach to those for whom they are meant. This framework is consistent with the ‘Right to Health Care’ approach since it places health rights of the community at the center of the process.
In the context of sustainable development, aid, and their intersection in project planning, management, and implementation, the author seeks to share his experience, lessons learned, and thoughts on the recent history of sustainability, and the current state of sustainable developmental policy implementation in the development assistance field. These findings are based on his three years of experience working on the front lines of a grassrootsfocused development organization in Zambia, where he learned five core principles that are necessary for a clear understanding of processes which affect sustainable development implementation. The paper finds that a macro framework from the political and social actors at the national and supranational level, combined with comprehensive project design, contextualization, stronger monitoring, reporting, and evaluation mechanisms are necessary, and that emerging technologies may hold part of the answer. It also calls to attention the challenge that long term vs. short term planning cycles pose to sustainability.
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