Assessing facility performance to improve health service delivery towards Universal Health Coverage in Bangladesh

WHO provided technical support to the government to develop a web-based dashboard for monitoring health facilities performance using routine health information. In collaboration with other partners, the WHO has developed the health facility assessment tools and trained several assessors to assess the country’s health facilities. On an yearly basis, the assessors visit the health facilities across the country and evaluate their performance. Field health managers also conduct monthly reporting of the services and facilities under their jurisdiction through an online measurement and scoring system. The system shows real-time data on a dashboard open for consultation to all the field health managers in Bangladesh, setting a virtuous competition and constant monitoring of their performances. The initiative also contributes to enhancing good governance, as it allows the monitoring of the investments made in the national public health sector. Over 500 public health facilities, including public and specialized hospitals and medical colleges, from the Upazila to the tertiary level, in Bangladesh, have been assessed every year since 2014. A great incentive to participate in this performance evaluation initiative is the Health Minister’s National Award, awarded to the best performing participating health facilities. The assessment measures the health facilities' fit-for-service delivery capacity, including cleanliness, staff punctuality, placement of appropriate display boards and patient guidance signs, improvement of laboratory services, waste management, and many others. Patient satisfaction with the quality of services is also assessed.