Health evaluation in the Republic of Guinea-Bissau: a meta-evaluation of the National Health Development Plan

ABSTRACT In the Republic of Guinea-Bissau, one of the poorest countries in the world, the National Health Development Plan (NHDP) is intended to be the national health guidance document. NHDP II (2008-2017) succeeded NHDP I (1998-2002, revised for 2003-2007), being both assessed. In 2017, a new planning process – NHDP III – was completed. As for NHDP, a meta-evaluation was carried out, aiming to assess the quality of the evaluations carried out and to verify the use of evaluations’ results in subsequent interventions. Applying meta-evaluation patterns to evaluation reports, it was verified that, as to the four principles – utility, feasibility, adequacy and accuracy –, both evaluations presented a satisfactory score higher than 66.6%, showing an excellence character in various patterns. Methodologically, NHDP I report stands out from NHDP II. In the planning phase, the suggestions made by the previous evaluation wereconsidered for both NHDP II and III. The fragility of the Country emerges as a pattern of specificity, revealing that NHDP has offer a reference in scenarios of instability. These evaluations fit the current challenge of considering the context and the culture of peoples as an integral part of the evaluation.