Monitoring Sustainable Development Goals 3: Assessing the Readiness of Low- and Middle-Income Countries

• Main Authors: Joy Belinda Nabukalu, James Avoka Asamani, Juliet Nabyonga-Orem
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Kerman University of Medical Sciences 2020-07-01
• Series: International Journal of Health Policy and Management
• Subjects: monitoring; evaluation; sustainable development goal 3; universal health coverage; low- and middle-income countries
• Online Access: https://www.ijhpm.com/article_3725_17dd011315b8db790ed021abf8219a56.pdf
• ISSN: 2322-5939; 2322-5939

<span class="fontstyle0">Background</span><br /> <span class="fontstyle0">The Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) availed opportunities for scaling up service coverage but called for stringent monitoring and evaluation (M&E) focusing mainly on MDG related programs. The Sustainable Development Goals 3 (SDGs) and the universal health coverage (UHC) agenda present a broader scope and require more sophisticated M&E systems. We assessed the readiness of low- and middle-income countries to monitor SDG 3.<br /></span><br />  <br /> <span class="fontstyle0">Methods</span><br /> <span class="fontstyle0">Employing mixed methods, we reviewed health sector M&E plans of 6 countries in the World Health Organization (WHO) Africa Region to assess the challenges to M&E, the indicator selection pattern and the extent of multisectoral collaboration. Qualitative data were analysed using content thematic analysis while quantitative data were analysed using Excel.<br /></span><br />  <br /> <span class="fontstyle0">Results</span><br /> <span class="fontstyle0">Challenges to monitoring SDG 3 include weak institutional capacity; fragmentation of M&E functions; inadequate domestic financing; inadequate data availability, dissemination and utilization of M&E products. The total number of indictors in the reviewed plans varied from 38 for Zimbabwe to 235 for Zanzibar. Sixty-nine percent of indicators for the Gambia and 89% for Zanzibar were not classified in any domain in the M&E results chain. Countries lay greater M&E emphasis on service delivery, health systems, maternal and child health as well as communicable diseases with a seeming neglect of the non-communicable diseases (NCDs). Inclusion of SDG 3 indicators only ranged from 48% for Zanzibar to 67% for Kenya. Although monitoring SDG 3 calls for multisectoral collaboration, consideration of the role of other sectors in the M&E plans was either absent or limited to the statistical departments.<br /></span><br />  <br /> <span class="fontstyle0">Conclusion</span><br /> <span class="fontstyle0">There are common challenges confronting M&E at county-level. Countries have omitted key indicators for monitoring components of the SDG 3 targets especially those on NCDs and injuries. The role of other sectors in monitoring SDG 3 targets is not adequately reflected. These could be bottlenecks to tracking progress towards SDG 3 if not addressed. Beyond providing compendium of indicators to guide countries, we advocate for a more binding minimum set of indicators for all countries to which they may add depending on their context. Ministries of Health (MoHs) should prioritise M&E as an important pillar for health service planning and implementation and not as an add-on activity.</span>