Timely planning of project extensions and a more realistic extension period will improve loan utilization. Undisbursed amounts under this project resulted largely from new government policies as well as contextual and operational factors. Various activities were canceled because of government restrictions on the use of loan proceeds for soft components (e.g., training, workshops, etc). Non-disbursements were also associated with other policy modifications, such as restrictions on the recruitment of international consultants. But contextual and operational factors also played a role. For example, the unforeseen COVID-19 pandemic, significantly delayed activities on the ground. There were also various delays in civil works, trainings, and medical procurement, which resulted in the significant shifting of payments from 2018-2019 to 2020-2021, as well as challenges in procurement operations, such as seven vehicles not meeting emissions requirements and nonresponsive biddings for some medical equipment packages.
Second Health Care in the Central Highlands Project