Health minister calls for stringent use of grants from Global Fund.

The session brought together senior officials from the Ministry of Public Health, technical partners, and key stakeholders involved in the management of health funding. 

The meeting equally sought to evaluate the progress under the Global Fund’s Risk Mitigation Plan, a framework introduced in April 2025 to correct systemic weaknesses and prevent mismanagement of resources. 

The plan includes 25 specific actions that range from combating fraud to streamlining human resource deployment, ensuring the destruction of expired medical supplies, and deploying digital tools for improved traceability.

In his opening remark, Dr Manaouda delivered a firm and steady assessment of the current state of grant management. 

“We must now be stricter, more rigorous, even uncompromising on issues of governance and transparency,” he stated, insisting on a shift toward tighter controls and heightened scrutiny of every link in the health supply chain.

The minister equally placed emphasis on the issue of controlling medical inputs, a sector often susceptible to misappropriation and logistical bottlenecks. 

Dr Manaouda revealed that recent improvements in governance had caught the attention of international donors. He cited the example of Ottawa, which recently dispatched an inspection mission to evaluate the measures taken on the ground.

Minister Manaouda also commended the Pharmacy, Medicines and Laboratories Department, DPML, for its bold step in destroying expired and unfit medicines. 

This act, he said, sent a strong message about the country's commitment to public health safety and was well-received by both the local population and international health partners.

Insist on bridging the gap

The minister and participants during the meeting took time to dissect all critical components of the Risk Mitigation Plan, with special attention given to areas where gaps persist. 

They cited among them the reimbursement procedures and the nation’s co-financing commitments, which remain key indicators of the country’s reliability as a beneficiary of international aid.

The discussion resulted in several consensus-driven resolutions, including the urgent need to fast-track digital systems for supply chain monitoring and to fortify internal audit processes. 

It was also agreed that a comprehensive report detailing the outcomes of the meeting would be promptly submitted to the President of the Republic and the leadership of the Global Fund.

This article was first published in The Guardian Post Edition No:3450 of Friday May 16, 2025