Day: June 21, 2024

For the first time, Digepres conducts an external evaluation of the budget program and includes equity among criteria

The evaluation of the Results-Oriented Budget Program for Tuberculosis Care and Prevention sets a precedent in budgeting practices, regulations, and the impact of measurements by international organizations. Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic – For the first time, and in a joint effort to improve the efficiency of public spending and maximize social welfare, the Dominican Republic's General Directorate of Budget, the German Development Cooperation, and the Executive Secretariat of the Council of Ministers of Finance of Central America, Panama, and the Dominican Republic (COSEFIN) presented the report on the results of the external evaluation of the Budget Program for Tuberculosis Care and Prevention in the Dominican Republic. The report outlines measures, strengths, and challenges related to the issue. This initiative represents a significant step forward for the Dominican Republic in the evaluation of budget programs, the measurement of public spending efficiency, and contributions to a gender perspective and the needs of vulnerable sectors. The event was led by Iván Ramírez, Deputy Director of the General Directorate of Budget; Janna Krenz, Economic and Cooperation Attaché at the German Embassy in Santo Domingo; Ricardo Elías Melgen, Director of Population Health Management; Rafael Gómez, project consultant; Puja Noshadi, Director of the Good Financial Governance Program at the German Cooperation Agency (GIZ); and Ana Miguelina Terrero, project technical coordinator, were present. Representatives from various government institutions involved in the process also participated. Ms. Janna Krenz, from the German Embassy in Santo Domingo, delivered the welcoming remarks, highlighting the importance of this initiative because it contributes to improving public services and fiscal sustainability. Ms. Krenz took the opportunity to acknowledge Digepres' leadership in promoting efficient public finance management. "We are honored to share the progress and impact of the Evaluation, which also received support from German cooperation," said Ms. Krenz. For his part, Iván Ramírez, Deputy Director of the Budget Office, representing the Director of the Budget Office, José Rijo Presbot, highlighted the milestone marked by the evaluation of budgetary programs. “This first program we evaluated paves the way for others, providing citizens with information on the actual investment of resources and the Government's commitment to ensuring the social well-being of Dominicans,” he stated. Likewise, Ana Miguelina Terrero, from the project's technical coordination team, noted that it sets a precedent in the work of the Budget Office, its regulations, and its influence on high-level measurements by international organizations. Rafael Gómez, a consultant for the project, described the results as satisfactory and emphasized, among other aspects, the fact that, for the first time, this type of evaluation includes the criteria of equity and a gender perspective. The evaluation also focused on the most vulnerable sectors, the social impact and human benefit, and how tuberculosis reduces family income, causes social exclusion, and increases mortality. Finally, Dr. Ricardo Melgen, Director of Population Health Management at the Ministry of Public Health, addressed the attendees, stating that tuberculosis is the second leading infectious cause of death after COVID-19, according to the WHO. The tuberculosis incidence rate in the targeted regions was 38.6% in 2023, and the detection gap was reduced to a record low of 15.6% in 2022. Government institutions such as the National Health Service and the Supérate program also participated in the event. The report is available on the institutional website Digepres.gob.do.