Summary

Description

This report reviews Tonga's health sector structure and spending to help the Government make decisions on setting health budgets in coming years.

The review concludes that Tonga has performed relatively well compared with neighbouring Pacific countries. But challenging this performance are: 1) an increase in non-communicable disease (NCD), and 2) a tight macroeconomic and fiscal position.

The 8 recommendations (summarised) are:


The MoH recurrent budget should rise over the medium-term.

• An additional T$2 million a year should be generated by 2012–13 to finance an expanded preventive NCD healthcare and asset maintenance budget.
• Medical salary costs will need to be controlled 60% of the total health budget.
• Health outcomes should be improved through introduction of an explicit 'Quality in Health Care' program and better NCD management.
• Non-clinical health information should be integrated into a single Ministry of Health Executive Reporting System.
• The Ministry should work to improve key indicators relating to non-communicable diseases.
• Greater priority should be given to asset maintenance.
• Further efficiency savings should be sought, and ploughed back into curative care budgets.

Review of Public Expenditure on Health–Final Report, September 2010 [PDF 1.3MB]