Memorandum submitted by HealthProm
INQUIRY INTO THE DEPARTMENT FOR INTERNATIONAL
DEVELOPMENT'S DEPARTMENTAL REPORT 2007 (HC 514), 17 JULY
In response to the Committee's invitation of
written submissions, we would like to comment on the following
issues which the Committee has stated are of particularly interest
to it.
1. Distribution of DFID's bilateral aid between
middle- and low-income countries: what are the implications of
the commitment to provide 90% of aid to low-income countries?
We would advocate an element of "triage",
selecting for special attention those sectors of particular countries
which demonstrate most signs of potential for progress. We are
interested in the transition of new accession states to the European
Union from the status of recipient of overseas development funds
to that of donor. HealthProm regularly deploys excellent trainers
from Lithuania and Latvia, whose value as trainers derives largely
from the capacity building of their national health services facilitated
by US funded NGOs. They would not have acquired their propensity
and skills for training had middle income countries not been eligible
for overseas aid.
2. Balancing DFID's rising budget with the
requirement to reduce its staffing levels ("doing more with
less"): how this will affect the way it channels funding?
"Doing more with less" will inevitably
mean less staff and bigger contracts. As a small UK NGO we have
experience of punching far above our weight—because we have
to. In kind contributions and donated time are a frequent feature
of our small, but high achieving projects. We work with similarly
small overseas partner NGOs which have track records of achieving
much with comparatively small sums. In our view this will be forfeited
if DFID reduces its staffing levels. Larger contracts will mean
higher salary bills in larger contracted organisations, especially
in the private sector. In this regard the Committee might be well
advised to consider DFID's SPRILO project in Russia.
C S Britten
Project Development and Management
2 July 2007
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