RESULT BASED FINANCING: A SUSTAINABLE APPROACH FOR INTERNATIONAL PARTNERSHIP

Public funding of health programs has recently been characterized by increasing conditionality in the provision of resources. This trend typically includes result-based financing programs (RBF), which promise rewards to individuals or institutions, conditioning them to the achievement of the agreed objectives.

The St. Mary's Hospital in Lacor (Gulu, Uganda) and the Corti Foundation, after a first experience with the RBF approach funded by the British government, have extended the adoption of incentive mechanisms of this kind with the aim of improving the quality of healthcare provided.

Thanks to the three-year contribution of the Italian Agency for Development Cooperation (AICS), results-based financing mechanisms have been tested in the pediatric wards of Lacor Hospital and Dr Ambrosoli Memorial Kalongo Hospital, showing considerable potential in improving the quality of the services provided, hence in contributing to the reduction of the high infant mortality rates.

Starting from this experience, and from the analysis of the evidence gathered in the hospitals of Lacor and Kalongo, the University of Naples Federico II, in partnership with the Corti and the Ambrosoli Foundation, promotes a conference on result-based financing programmes with the aim of discussing their effectiveness in favouring sustainability and quality in the health sector.