Chapter 4

• Situational Analysis


  A systematic way of identifying health and health related problems

  
• Health status is a product of the interaction of the population, the health sector, and the health related socio-economic factors.
• The initial step in planning the health system is to look into the status of different interacting components mentioned.

  
• Situational Analysis


  The common term used for the step of diagnosing the health situation
• Components of Situational Analysis

  1. Description of the present situation

  2. Making a forecast of the future status

  3. Identifying the problems and seeking explanation for their occurrence
• Year 0- the year which the plan is being formulated
• Year – 1, Year -2, Year -3…etc. – the past years
• Year 1, Year 2, Year 3…etc. – the years covered by the plan
• Planning horizon- The last year (Year 4 in a 4-year plan)
• Information to be collected should be those which can give good insight on the state of equity in health, major disease /condition problems at present and in the future, and the relevance effectiveness, efficiency and adequacy of the response of the health system.
• It should be very useful if at the start of a planning exercise, the planning team could discuss the information to be collected , their possible sources, and going to the extent of drawing up statistical dummy tables which would condense the data collected.
• Planning Cycle


  1. Situation Analysis

  2. Priority Setting

  3. Setting Objectives

  4. Planning Activities

  5. Evaluation

  6. Monitoring
• Analysis of Population


  1. Composition

  2. Geographical distribution

  3. Differences in the magnitude of certain selected vital indices among different geographical areas
• The analysis of population provides the necessary basis for computation of rates of disease occurrence, and accomplishment of programmes.
• The information could come from reports of censuses, survey reports, and vital statistical reports.
• Analysis of the Health Status

  1. Leading causes of mortality

  2. Leading causes of morbidity

  3. Leading causes of infant mortality

  4. Leading causes of maternal mortality
• Analysis of Related Socio- Economic Factors

  1. Economic indices

  2. Social indices

  3. Environmental indices
• Health sector


  The concern of a group in a community for the development, delivery, and support of health services to individuals and the protection of the environment where they reside
• Analysis of Health Sector

  1. Study of intersectoral relationships

  2. Analysis of intrasectoral relationship

  3. Analysis of health facilities

  4. Analysis of health manpower

  5. Analysis of expenditures on health