Perfomance Based Financing and Maternal and Child Health

The improvement of maternal and child health in developing countries is one of the major axes on which health actors and governmental decision-making authorities rely to ensure the good health and well-being of populations. The achievement of this objective is conditioned by a quality health care offer (vaccination, intermittent preventive treatment, prevention of mother-to-child transmission, etc.) at all levels of the health pyramid. The quality of health services offered to the population depends enormously on the way the health system is financed: health personnel who are not sufficiently remunerated are de-motivated and are likely to produce poor performance. Performance-based financing is an approach that aims to motivate operational health workers based on their results. Examining and evaluating the positives of this new approach with a focus on maternal and child health indicators is necessary to help local health authorities make good decisions.