Bamako Meetings

 

Building on MLI’s tenet of peer learning, MLI hosted a forum to highlight the complexities of health reform, drawing on real life examples from other low and middle income countries.  The meeting was held prior to the November 17-19 2008 Global Ministerial Forum on Research for Health in Bamako, Mali, featuring MLI ministers and members of their senior team. On 16 November, MLI hosted a session entitled: Pro-Poor Health Financing: Political Lessons from Chile's Success Story. This program engaged the MLI country representatives present and was attended by thirty-five participants of the Forum.  Chile’s story was chosen as the focus of this session because it illustrates the complexities and potential successes of implementing significant health reform in a country.  Dr. Hernan Sandoval, who was appointed by President Lagos as the Executive Secretary of Chile’s Health Reform Commission, led the dialogue.  Adding to the dialogue by outlining the politics of the AUGE health reform was Dr. Ricardo Bitran.  Dr. Bitran is the Academic Director of the Flagship Program, a collaboration of the World Bank Institute and Bitrán y Asociados.MLI country representative also participated in MLI Dinner Discussion and a MLI Roundtable on Evaluation and Results which allowed for substantial discussion around strategy and planning within each country.  Moreover, a central tenet of the MLI program was reinforced in Bamako; that ministerial owned and led initiatives to reform health policies have the greatest potential for success.  The Bamako meetings reinforced that whenever MLI ministry teams can come together to collaborate the program will be strengthened.