Minimum Service Standards for Health Facilities: A tool for evidence-based planning and budgeting in health for local government
The Ministry of Health and Population, Government of Nepal developed the Minimum Service Standards (MSS) for all level of health facilities. The MSS aspires to ensure the readiness of health facilities to deliver quality services. In the federal context, health posts have been handed over to the local government and it is its responsibility to ensure basic health services are delivered to a high standard. For planning and budgeting at local level to be evidence-based, the evidence must be accurate. The MSS helps to quantify the evidence through its scores and determines the status of the health post in terms of its readiness and service availability. This provides a basis for evidence-based local level planning and budgeting to ensure value for money.