WB-sponsored meet calls for strengthening audit system in health sector

---

Speakers at a donor-sponsored meet here Sunday underscored the need for strengthening the audit system to develop a robust and efficient financial management for the all-inclusive Bangladesh Health, Nutrition and Population Sector Programme (HNPSP), reports UNB.
"The age of unilateral auditing is gone and good teamwork is required between both the auditor and auditee for improving quality of audits and speedy settlement process for an effective audit," said Asif Ali, Comptroller and Auditor General, while inaugurating the workshop on 'Health Sector Audit'.
Health and Family Welfare Secretary AKM Zafar Ullah Khan and World Bank Country Director Xian Zhu also spoke at the meet organised jointly by the government of Bangladesh and the World Bank at the C&AG office.
Acknowledging the efforts taken by the C&AG office in improving the audit system, Zhu said the Bank is supporting the Health and Family Welfare Ministry in its effort to strengthen its audit systems and develop new procedures to ensure that new initiatives are fully aligned with the overall country financial management system.
AKM Zafar Ullah Khan said this workshop provided a good platform to come to a common understanding about the key challenges in the financial management system and work out ways forward through brainstorming.
The Financial Management system of HNPSP covers areas from internal controls, budgeting, financing, accounting, reporting and audit, by following the Government's systems, rules and regulations.
Suraiya Zannath Khan, Senior Financial Management Specialist of the World Bank, made a presentation on the potential problems and prospects of the health-sector audit. This was followed by an open discussion on the presentation and other pertinent issues of the financial management system of HNPSP.
Officials of the C&AG office, Directorate of Health, Directorate of Family Planning, Foreign Aided Projects Audit Directorate (FAPAD) and MOHFW attended the workshop that concluded with an action plan, to be implemented over the next few months.