Health Zones, Co-Management, and Decentralization in Benin. Technical Report No. 52

摘要

This report reviews the decentralization of the territorial government into communes and the establishment of health zones as part of Benin's health reform measures. As these territorial reforms can cause a considerable upheaval in the institutional framework to implement health activities, the report identifies ways to make the decentralization of the territorial government consistent with the reform of health service delivery. A study team visited Benin's three geographic areas and interviewed numerous officials and resource persons in four health zones of varying functionality. The team found that potential difficulties linked to the mismatch between the division into zones and the division into communes seem to have been overestimated, as communal powers stop at the arrondissement and health committees can facilitate cooperation among communes and between communes and communities.