National Health Sector Strategic Plan 2008-2013.

The primary purpose of this National Health Sector Strategic Plan 2008-2013 (NHSSP) is to guide the MOH and its partners in the implementation of the National Health Policy. The Strategic Plan conveys the prospects for improving the health status of all the people of Swaziland and provides a coherent and system wide framework for intervention planning and performance measurement. The overall objectives of the NHSSP are: To reduce morbidity, disability and mortality that is due to diseases and social conditions To enhance health system capacity and performance To promote effective allocation and management of health and social welfare sector resources To reduce the risk and vulnerability of the country’s population to social welfare problems as well as the impact thereof.
The NHSSP highlights the key strategies for the control and management of both communicable and non-communicable diseases, the promotion of better family and environmental health as well as the key systemic and structural imperatives necessary for a sustained response to the various health challenges and needs of the nation.
The NHSSP seeks to combating malnutrition. One of the Strategic Plan Interventions identified in the NHSSP is: To improve provision of and increase access to, essential, affordable and quality public health services in order to significantly reduce the burden of diseases, morbidity and mortality and improve the health status and quality of life of the Swazi population. This will be achieved through, among others, • Combating malnutrition especially in mothers and children and contributing to the improvement of the nutritional status of the Swazi population.
The country faces serious challenges such as high poverty and HIV/AIDS prevalence rates. Guiding principles of the NHSSP include, among others, • Pro-poor interventions • Inclusive and equitable delivery strategies that target the fragile and vulnerable and promote gender fairness.
In order to increase the resilience of livelihoods to disasters, one of the Strategy Directions is set up to enhance the capacity of MOH in emergency, epidemic and disaster preparedness and response at all levels.