Future Plans

The Ministry of Health in Timor-Leste is aiming to ensure provision of thelath service to all its people, regulate the helath sector and promote the participation of stakeholders from health and other sectors. The Ministry of Health is committed to use the available resources in the most cost-effective way.

As stated in the National Development Plan, Timor-Leste has one of the lowest literacy rates in the world. Health priorities are among the most crucial in the Development Plan. Development strategies have been devised to emphasize the importance of providing adequate access to primary health care, and focusing on prevention and clinical support in underserved areas. It is proposed to develop a system of primary health care, easily accessible to individuals and families in the community through household participation, and at a cost that the community an country can afford to maintain at each stage of its development. Women's rights to health would be ensured, which is particularly focused on reproductive health and on the prevention of health hazards.

The National Development Plan has set the following targets:

• Infant mortality rate currently estimated between 70-95 per 1,000 live births, to decline significantly within five years;
• Health sector policies will receive priority to ensure the basic level of health of the workforce, and
• The share of health would rise significantly from 7.6% of the total budget in fiscal year 2002 to 13.7% in fiscal year 2007.

In view of the above, and as enshrined in the National Development Plan, the policies on the following aspects will be formulated in future:

• Emphasizing preventive and promotive health care;
• Adopting primary health care policies;
• Adopting a policy of integrating the health care system with other sectors;
• Targeting groups to achieve the greatest health impact;
• Developing health staffing policies appropriate to the needs of the a country;
• Promoting access and utilization of basic health services by vulnerable groups;
• Adopting Integrated Management of Childhood Illness (IMCI);
• Mainstreaming gender health concerns in all programmes, and
• Working with relevant sectors/organizations to advocate an improved status for women, promoting equal rights for men and women in access to health.

Specific high burden diseases like malaria, tuberculosis, diarrhoeal diseases, respiratory infections, leprosy or mental health, and reproductive health, including high maternal mortality, will need special attention. Diseases with high risk like HIV/AIDS also have high priority in the agenda of the Ministry of Health.