National Monitoring and Evaluation Plan for National Programme on Prevention and Control of HIV / AIDS infection and sexually transmitted infections for 2011-2015

Chapter I. General Provisions

1. The National Monitoring and Evaluation Plan (hereinafter called M&E plan) for the Program is aligned with the existing policies in various sectors and was developed through a participatory process, based on the findings of the Assessment of functionality of the components of the Monitoring and Evaluation System, the review of the National Program on Prevention and Control of HIV/AIDS/STIs for the years 2006-2010 and on the National Response Analysis.

2. The M&E Plan stipulates principles of data collection, aggregation, analysis and use for program implementation, provides information on key indicators, the main data sources, information flow, information products and institutional responsibilities.

Chapter II. Background

3. As per the recommendations provided for at the Washington Conference of 25th April 2004, organized by the United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS) and the key donors, the Republic of Moldova endorsed the Declaration of Commitment and engaged in enforcing the 3-Ones principle, prescribing the harmonization of efforts and avoidance of overlaps through:

  1. one strategic framework
  2. one coordination mechanism to manage the national response to HIV/AIDS
  3. one national M&E system

 

Chapter III. M&E Plan objectives and its elements

4. The goal of the M&E Plan is to guide and coordinate the effective collection, analysis, aggregation and use of data for the assessment of progress trends in the national response to HIV/AIDS and for enhanced decision making process.

5.  M&E Plan objectives:

  1. Strengthen the monitoring and evaluation system that will enable the systematic collection, processing, analysis and interpretation of data;
  2. Put up lists with core indicators that will allow monitoring of progress in response to HIV/AIDS and identify data needs for decision making;
  3. Describe the main data sources used to collect data necessary for monitoring and evaluation;
  4. Establish a clear information flow;
  5. Describe the roles and responsibilities in monitoring and evaluation;
  6. List the information products and the dissemination mechanisms.

               6.  The implementation of the M&E Plan shall yield the following outputs:

  1. Quality and timely reporting;
  2. Strengthened monitoring and evaluation system;
  3. Structured and coordinated flow of routine information;
  4. Single national data repository developed to integrate the existent reporting systems;
  5. Strategy for data dissemination developed;
  6. Capacity-building plan developed;
  7. Research and Evaluation agenda agreed upon.

               7. The organizational framework, approved in 2008 by the global Reference Group for Monitoring and Evaluation (MERG), provides for 12 functional components for a functional monitoring and evaluation system:

  1. Organizational structures with HIV M&E functions
  2. Human capacity for HIV M&E
  3. Partnerships to plan, coordinate, and manage the HIV M&E system
  4. National cross-sector HIV M&E plan
  5. Annual costed national HIV M&E work plan
  6. Advocacy, communications, and culture for HIV M&E
  7. Routine HIV program monitoring
  8. Surveys and surveillance
  9. National and sub-national HIV databases
  10. Supportive supervision and data auditing
  11. HIV evaluation and research
  12. Data dissemination and use

               8.  The National M&E System has important functions at the central, territorial and service provider levels. The M&E system includes reporting by public institutions and civil society organizations from all sectors involved in the implementation of the Program.

9. Information flows:

  1. Existing reporting verticals, automated systems (SIME-HIV, SIME STIs, VCT and unique identifier),
  2. Existing reporting verticals, non-automated systems (reporting based on statistical forms)
  3. Reporting systems in process of institutionalization (reporting from NGOs)
  4. Horizontal reporting (cross-sector reporting).

Chapter IV. National indicators for the HIV infection

10. The indicators for monitoring and evaluation were selected to be:

  1. in line with the priority objectives established by the National HIV/AIDS Program;
  2. In line with the priority objectives and HIV and AIDS related indicators of the Moldova NDP & nationalized MDG;
  3. In line with internationally recommended core indicators in UNGASS;
  4. In line with core indicators to achieve ‘Universal Access’ to HIV and AIDS interventions;
  5. In line with the HIV and AIDS related indicators in other key national policies and plans;
  6. In line with international HIV and AIDS M&E guidelines; and
  7. Realistically measurable at a reasonable cost.

11. Monitoring equity and access to effective prevention, care and treatment, and impact mitigation interventions is reflected in the definition and Broken down of the respective indicators. The standard categories of Broken down are: age, sex, location, and region (net of Transnistria, including Transnistria).

Chapter V. Data Sources for national indicators

12. Data sources for program indicators include:

  1. for the impact and outcome indicators: surveys and studies, including biomedical and clinical; sentinel surveillance in key populations at risk; behavioral, sociological;
  2. for the output indicators: administrative statistics/ routine monitoring;
  3. for some denominators: estimates of incidence and prevalence; estimations of size of key populations at risk, estimated needs for ARV treatment and projections on trends of these estimated ranges.

13. Inorder to complement existing data sources and to improve understanding of trends and developments in specific public health issues, triangulation of data from multiple sources will be made for data analysis based on empirical observations.

Chapter VI. National data repository (SIDATA)

 

14. The national data repository is a functional tool to ensure data availability in the strategic planning process and concentrates aggregated data from:

  1. existing reporting systems among public institutions and cross-sector program implementers
  2. the NGO Sector

 

15. The national data repository integrates data from pre-existing reporting systems and is a unique platform of data presentation to avoid double reporting, ensures data transparency, provides for national level validation, and limited editing access to ensure data security.

16. The national data repository provides web access in order to visualize data grouped by strategy/categories/areas of intervention.

17. The national data repositorywill be located in the National AIDS Center. Data entry is performed by trained personnel appointed by all authorized public and nongovernmental institutions

Chapter VII. Data quality

18. The quality criteria for data used in Monitoring and Evaluation include: validity; reliability; timeliness; precision; integrity

19. The M&E TWG will develop a protocol for ensuring data quality, which will institutionalize quality assurance for key indicators, will consolidate data management systems and will build upon the capacities of the personnel involved in data collection, aggregation and analysis.

20. Supportive supervision will include oversight and directing the performance of subordinated institutions and transfer of knowledge, attitudes and skills. Supportive supervision will be carried out rotationally on different samples of service providers and will be used as a mechanism for strengthening local monitoring and evaluation capacities.

21. Data validation will involve internal and external validation mechanisms. Internal Audit will be a regular process, conducted with a certain periodicity. Annual external audits will be conducted for selected indicators in randomly selected locations. Responsibility for data validation within the sectors belongs to line Ministries. Multilateral issues will be managed by the Technical Work Group on ME.

Chapter  VIII. Evaluation and research

 

 

22. Evaluation and research are components of the comprehensive monitoring and evaluation system. A national process for identifying evaluation/research gaps and for coordinating carrying out evaluation/research shall be conducted to avoid duplication of effort and to enhance dissemination and data use in decision-making.  The adequate planning of studies, research and evaluation will be a prerequisite for adequate funding.

  1. The priority fields for epidemiological research include:
  2. Elucidate the role of injection drug use in HIV infection among pregnant women, female sex workers and MSM;
  3. Assess the extent to which there is sustained heterosexual or homosexual transmission of HIV in men, unassociated to injecting drug use;
  4. Identify gender-associated factors of vulnerability to HIV;
  5. Study the factors that determine adolescents to engage in behaviors with increased risk of HIV infection;
  6. Describe the referral system and the peer support in providing access to care, the care/treatment experience, and survival after HIV diagnosis;
  7. Conduct a descriptive study of HIV-infected pregnant women.

Chapter IX. Information Products

24. Information products shall include:

  1. Annual Report on the M&E of the response to HIV/AIDS;
  2. Quarterly reports for the Global Fund to Fight AIDS/TB and Malaria;
  3. Universal Access annual report;
  4. UNGASS biannual report;

Mid-Term Review and end of cycle Evaluation reports