Lady Health Worker Assessment

Policy and Strategic Planning Unit (PSPU), Primary & Secondary Healthcare Department, Government of Punjab, through assistance of World Bank is implementing the Punjab Health Sector Reform Program (PHSRP). The National Program for Family Planning and Primary Health Care, also known as the Lady Health Workers Program (LHWP) aims to improve the maternal and newborn child health and provision of Family Planning services across the Punjab. The LHW program is an initiative that extends outreach health services (family planning, immunization, obstetrics care, nutrition, etc.) to rural populations and urban slum communities through deployment of over 48,000 Lady Health Workers (LHWs) and 1,850 Lady Health Supervisors (LHSs) across the Punjab.

Evaluation of Lady Health Workers (LHWs) Program is one of the essential requirements of the PHSRP to assess the performance of LHW Program. PSPU has been providing its technical support for LHWs evaluation conducted in the past. Now, PSPU is playing a lead role for LHW evaluation 2017 from inception to completion of the task.

The 2017-18 evaluation will trace out the effectiveness of LHW Program by assessing performance indicators. This is a detailed evaluation of LHWs program to provide a futuristic approach about revised job description of LHWs, LHSs and other staff and will suggest a mechanism for improving the performance and coverage of LHWP. This assessment will also analyze the impact of different interventions and policy decisions taken by the Government since its inception.

Objectives

The objectives of the evaluation are to:

  • Assess the coverage and quality of services delivered by LHWs.
  • Conduct systems and management review with specific reference to LHW’s induction in regular system and integration into IRMNCH&N.
  • Conduct technical, economic and social sustainability analysis of the component and explore innovations for improved performance of the existing system.
  • Identify and assess feasibility of a public sector led non-government model for community health work in uncovered areas.