Programmes and programming of health care

Abstract

Programming is a necessary technique in the health sector. It belongs in the wide field of planning, which is succintly described here. A Programme is defined, in Public Health, as the expression of a set of activities aimed at solving a certain type of health problems and aspirations of a population-in-its- environment; it includes the specification of the problems to be overcome, the resources to be used and the ways to organize and manage them. Programming implies going and coming between the needs observed and the available resources. It also implies going from the past to the future and to hypothetical, optimum situations. A programme outline is provided. The importance of deciding which programmes should be “opened” is emphasized. There is a section on the evaluation and monitoring phases of programmes. Projects are described as a planning model that should not be confused with programmes. Who does the programming is related with special information techniques, such as SIG (management information system) and SIGFE (Government financial information system) ;coordination techniques, such as "management commitments"; and special forms for requesting government aproval of Projects. Programming is related to other large conceptual schemes, such as Systems and Models, which belong as contents in Health Policy formulation. Programming also flows into the organization of the system; and it facilitates the formulation of rational budgets, i.e.”programme-budgets”, linked to the concept of “cost centers”.