USAID Signs MOUs with Watchdog Government Institutions to Support Anti-corruption Efforts in Albania’s Health Sector

The USAID Transparency in Health Engagement Project organized an event today in collaboration with the Albanian Supreme Audit Institution, the High Inspectorate for the Declaration and Audit of Assets and Conflicts of Interest, and the Ombudsman to present the findings of a Baseline Assessment for the three institutions, civil society, and media groups that was conducted from May-September 2017. At the end, Ms. Nielsen signed Memorandums of Understanding with the three partner institutions, witnessed by Dr. Catherine Johnson, Country Representative of USAID/Albania.

“We hope that by the end of the project Albania will have a more consolidated and coordinated reponse to the problem of corruption in the health system, which will contribute to the improvement of the quality of health services for all Albanian citizens” Ms. Nielsen said.

Each Memorandum of Understanding is accompanied by a detailed Technical Assistance Plan comprising capacity building activities, inter-institutional cooperation mechanisms, and introduction of new methodologies and ICT tools to better fight corruption in the health sector.

The Transparency in Health Engagement Project is a two-year project (March 2017- March 2019) with a goal to improve health services for Albanian citizens by focusing on fighting corruption, improving transparency of government functions, and encouraging cooperation among selected independent government agencies, civil society organizations (CSOs) and media to urge for more responsible governance in the health sector. The Project works to strengthen capacities of three independent government oversight agencies: the Albanian Supreme Audit Institution, the High Inspectorate for the Declaration and Audit of Assets and the Prevention of Conflicts of Interest, and the Office of the Ombudsman. Furthermore, the Project seeks to improve inter-institutional coordination and enhance cooperation with civil society and media in order to increase awareness on the magnitude of corruption in the health sector and pressure for reforms to improve transparency.