Effective Global Health Results Start With Individual Performance Goals
All the work done by country governments, private sector, foundations, donors, NGOs or charity organizations contributes to achieve Sustainable Development Goal 3 (SDG3). During the last 15 years, global health professionals and healthcare providers have learned that by default or by design, we all contributed with varying degrees of success to achieve the MDGs.
So what can we do differently to succeed in achieving SDG3 and ensure maximum effectiveness and develop healthcare delivery systems globally? The answer is deceptively simple. Every country’s government, private provider, donor agency, foundation, NGO, CSO or FBO, has one thing in common: people.
It is people in each of these institutions that make them work and determine their success. Therefore, to ensure their success, every one of their staff must succeed. Optimal professional performance is essential and to deliver this kind of performance, everyone in the institution must have clear performance goals and account for their achievement.
Here are some questions to consider as one looks at the results to be achieved a country or organization in the first quarter of 2016:
- Does the agency, organization, project, or health facility have clear performance goals for 2016, and for every quarter of the year?
- Does everyone in the organization, project, or health facility have clear performance goals that are aligned with the overall institutional goals?
- Does everyone have clear lines of accountability and reporting?
- How will individual performance be monitored and contribute to the overall goals and ultimately to SDG3?
If the answer is “no”, or “do not know”, to any of the questions above, it is time for the agency, organization, project, or health facility to have a different performance planning and monitoring system to ensure effective performance and maximum ROI. Think about it, if we want to make a difference in 2016 and make an effective contribution to SDG3 this year (and account for it), we might need to work differently.
